Invalid
by BeautifulBeasty
Summary: I've always wondered what it would be like- to be normal, accepted.  I just wanted to give you the companionship I never truly had, and in that I know I've cursed you to the sorrow I hold.  I'm so sorry friends;  My stigma has ruined your future.
1. Worthy

DA RULES:

1.) If a Pokemon faints, its dead. Release all dead pokemon.

2.) You can only catch the first Pokemon you find on a Route or in a town. Shiny Pokemon are the exception, and can be captured anytime. They cannot be used unless they are the first, however, and must be Perma- Boxed.

3.) You MUST give a unique nickname to all Pokemon captured.

4.) You can't buy anything from Pokemarts. If someone or something is selling something and they are not in a Pokemart you can buy, but those are far and few between so mostly you will be using things you find on the ground.

4.) If one of your Pokemon evolves through Trade, you can do that, but it will count as your capture for that town.

5.) In-Game Trades count as a capture as well.

6.) Game must be in SET Mode.

7.) If all Pokemon in your Party die, its Game Over. It doesn't matter if you have Pokemon stored in your PC, its still Game Over.

THE WORTHY:

I had a strange dream last night. I was alone and it was dark all around me. I wandered, lost, into the black abyss until light shone from behind. I'm saved. That was my first thought, but when I turned I was filled with dread. He was standing there, in his kindly old man persona. "What is your name, my dear?" His voice was kind and he was smiling, which was something he never did when he saw me. I glanced around only to find I was still alone, and when I turned back to him he chuckled. I still didn't answer. He knew my name, so what was the point? I just looked at his feet. He opened one of his closed palms and offered me a Pokeball.

How cruel, to offer what was wanted but could not be had.

He just chuckled again and tossed it to me. I was afraid to let the ball fall, fearing it would not hit the ground. I reached out my hand and caught it. I looked at it, cupped in my hands, then raised my head up to give it back. But he was gone. I turned around all looked on all sides of me, but all I saw was the darkness. I glanced back down at the ball in my hand, and I let myself smile. Was this really mine?

But my joy was cut short. The ball seemed to be growing in my hand. I cried out and dropped it. But as it fell it just kept growing and growing. That was when I realized it wasn't growing, but I was shrinking. I wanted to scream, but it wouldn't come. Instead, I just let myself grow smaller and smaller until I was nothing.

I woke with a start. It was still dark outside my window, but the first few shards of dawn were peaking over the horizon. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, so I just got up and started to get ready for the day ahead. I took a shower and dried my hair and brushed me teeth and all of those other things. By the time I was done, I could hear mom downstairs cooking breakfast. I picked up my pack and went to the kitchen. I sat down at the table just as mom moved eggs from the skillet and onto matching plates. She was already powdered and ready. I wasn't surprised. Mom liked to keep appearances up. She picked up the plates, and I put my head down and feigned interest in my nails.

"No hats at the table, Tae." I loved my mom and I knew she loved me, but I couldn't stand to look at her. When I was little, she had been so kind and happy. Now I was a disappointment who shamed her. She liked to keep herself steeled up and emotionless, but sometimes she would accidentally let that fall, and I could see the bitterness in her eyes when she looked at me. I knew she didn't mean to let me see, but it still felt like a knife in my heart every time I did. This was why I avoided looking at her face as much as possible.

She puts a plate down in front of me. I wanted to thank her, but didn't; I just let the words die in my throat. When she turned, I looked up again. I felt so bad about what I had done to my mother. Their were pictures on the walls from when I was younger. In the Before pictures, she looked young and jubilant, despite her age. In the After pictures, you could see how the stress and sadness had made her age not just catch up with her, but beat her with a stick. And I couldn't remember the last time I saw her smile and mean it, or heard her laugh.

"Eat up, Tae. We have a big day ahead of us!" I pretended not to hear the sarcasm in her voice as I picked at my eggs. The centers were runny, so I stabbed the yellow bubbles with my fork and watched them ooze on the white. I then cut them up into little pieces and moved them around the plate to give the look that I had eaten, even though I hadn't. The time passed in slow motion. It felt like I was sitting there for hours before she made me get up and leave for the Professors lab.

This world isn't like it was a mere nine years before. When I was six, an evil gang called Team Rocket tried to take over Kanto with brute Pokemon force. They would have succeeded if it wasn't for the bravery and strength of one girl. She foiled their plans and saved the day, but before she could claim any type of reward she disappeared. From what I know, she was just a few years older than my fifteen. No one knew her name, or got a good look at her to know more than she was female. They don't know where she came from or where she went. It was just known that she was a hero.

The government had been at a standstill back then, but decided to use this mysterious girl in their favor. The wild Pokemon had been declining for years, and not because of poachers. It was because their were to damn many Trainers running about willy- nilly. They captured everything in sight and it was hard to keep tabs on them. Pokemon that had once been numerous were near extinct in the wild. But that wasn't the worst part. Many children had been disappearing. The government had been trying to up the age of legal Pokemon training for years, but until then they had been unsuccessful. Too many people wanted to stick to tradition. The Rockets takeover was just what they needed to get the ball rolling.

Other measures had to be taken as well. People didn't want anything like this to happen again, so along with the upped age they made it that you could only be a Trainer if you passed a special test to prove you had no ill will towards Pokemon. The test itself is fairly simple, but other measures were taken to help ensure no one 'evil' gets through the system. If anyone displays any destructive behavior before their test date, they are denied Pokemon as well. This is what normally puts people out of the running. This supposedly kept future criminals at bay, but it didn't help with the extinction problem. So another plan was enacted. It was now illegal to catch more than one Pokemon on a Route or in a Town. A hard law to enforce, but Sliph Co. pushed through with innovation. Now Pokeballs are built with a lock system so you can't use them unless its with the first Pokemon you meet in a Route.

Its hard to imagine that one girls love of both Pokemon and her homeland changed everything.

What would it be like to be a hero, but no one else knew it? I pondered this as I was escorted into the Lab. It smelt like metal and cleaning supplies, and everything was scrubbed and clean. I swore I could see myself reflected in the floor. My short light brown hair with faded out blond streaks. Its longer in the front than in the back, so it is in my eyes as I look down. My light blue tank top and matching socks. Red skirt and yellow pack. White and red hat and shoes. Grey eyes. Distorted, but it's how I feel.

I am taken to the very back by one of the Aides. Two people are already there. I recognize them as I get closer. Leto and Nate. They stand next to each other, whispering in excited voices, smiles about to break their faces. Leto notices me and waves me over. He is so handsome. Short, spiky, blond hair and big bright blue eyes. He always has a smile on his face and a kind word to say. I really like him. As I walk over, I notice Nate is not as happy to see me. She steps closer to Leto and glares at me. I don't like her. She looks like a slut to my eyes. Revealing, tight shirts with leather boots and black minis, long blond hair, make- up caked on her face- not very pretty. Its hard to believe we used to be friends. Now she just sneers at me as I cross the room to join them.

"What are you doing here?" The distaste shows in her voice. I almost say, 'to keep up a façade', but I don't. I don't say anything at all. I just look at my feet. Turns out, I don't have to say anything because Leto answers for me. "She's here to get her Pokemon, like us." I'm still looking at my feet, but I know he's smiling as he says it. What he says makes me sad. I know he didn't mean to, and probably can't tell, but it does. It also leaves a bitter feeling and a pang of anger. I am not here to get a Pokemon. The Professor is just doing this as a favor to my mother; I'm not allowed to have a Pokemon.

We stand there seventeen minutes before the Professor shows up. He looks at Leto and Nate with pride, but me with contempt. They don't notice; They're to excited. But I do. He knows what this is. I will stand here, listen to his speech, take a Pokemon, and then give it back when Leto and Nate have left. If they ever ask, he will say that I decided to come home. A lie. He talks a lot about how to treat your Pokemon and what is appropriate. When he starts talking about what happens to those who abuse or kill them, his eyes are trained on me. I want to scream. But I don't. I just stand there with my head down and hold my tongue.

After he is done, he walks over to a metal workbench. On it rest three Pokeballs. They are simple and wonderful and evil; an invitation to hell. They're all the basic fare: red on top and white on bottom, a button in the center. One stands on a red base, one on blue, the last on green. What lays inside I do not know, and I couldn't guess. Leto is called up first. He ponders for a few minutes, reaches for the green one, then picks up the red one, puts it back down and chooses the blue one. It has a turtle type creature inside. It looks dazed, then trains its eyes on him and smiles. Nate is next. She picks up the green one, without any thought. She releases it (a small plant dog- lizard?) and then coos over how strong Leto's must be.

I am last. This was done on purpose, I know, and there is only one left. Instead of excitement, I can feel my heart breaking as I shuffle up the table and pick up the ball. The Professor's eyes are narrowed on me, and Leto is watching expectantly. But I don't release it. I was told not to. If I did, the Pokemon inside would imprint on me, and then wouldn't listen to the Trainer who deserved it. Instead, I stick the ball in my pocket and turn back around.

"Aren't you going to see what's inside?" Leto's face is scrunched up and he's tilted his head. He doesn't know about the arrangement between Oak and my mother, or about The Incident, so he can't figure out why I would want to keep my new partner a secret from myself. He steps towards me, but Oak chimes in, distracting him.

"I have a gift for you: some Pokeballs. Make good use of them, but know you can always buy more if you need them." He hands us all five. I shove them in my pack. "Now, this road will be a long and hard one, but I have faith that you all can make something great out of yourselves. Go out, and make me proud." He smiles warmly and I begin to file out with the others. I'm not really paying attention to where I'm going, thinking about the way to the backdoor Oak had told me about, when I bump into Leto. He has stopped right in my path, looking triumphant and determined.

"I, Trainer Leto, challenge you to a battle!" He smiles down at me. I shake my head no. He nods his head yes.

"My boy, I'm not so sure if tha-"

"We're both Trainers now, Professor Oak! She has to accept my challenge!" He just interrupted Oak. That's something I would never dream of doing.

He walks a good distance away from me and his Pokemon is in front of him before I can blink. It looks like its about to have a great time, and this battle means nothing. Fuck. Now what do I do? I try to stammer out some reason why I can't battle, but give up when my voice fails me. Instead I grasp for the ball in my pocket and press the button. I point it at the blue turtle. A burst of red light escapes the ball and slowly forms together. An orange lizard stands before me. He yawns, then blinks, then looks back at me. I'm sure he can see the terror and confusion on my face. He turns back around, facing the turtle. The lizard grins to himself, and the flame at the end of his tails grows bigger.

"Shells, Tackle!" The turtle (Shells?) charges forward. It heads straight for my lizard. He tries to get out of the way, but is to slow and is sent sprawling on his back. He hops back up and looks at me. I don't know what to do. A little voice in my head says to tell it an attack, but I know I shouldn't; The Professor will be even more mad at me later.

"C…Charcoal!" My voice cracks some. I rarely speak, and suddenly yelling makes my throat hurt. I also sound like shit. I have to clear my throat before continuing. "Use….. Um… Scratch!" Charcoal lets out a battle cry and lunges at Shells. His little claws are raised above his head and ready to strike. When he draws close, he scrapes Shells over the face and across the belly before backing away. Shells cries out in pain, but shakes it off. Leto repeats his command, and I repeat mine. This seems to go for ages, but eventually Shells falls. Tired and haggard, Charcoal puffs out his little chest and looks at me for approval. I'm still in shock, but I give him a nod.

"That was a good battle, Tae. I really mean it. Now that I've seen what you can do….. Lets go." Leto is smiling, which isn't surprising, but I know that his mind is whirring with plans and strategies for the next time he fights me. He approaches me after he had called Shells back into his ball, and he grabs my hand. Well, not so much as my hand as my wrist, but it's still nice. I feel my face flush, and see that Nate is seething when we walk by her. I chance a look back at Oak. My happiness is gone and my blood turns to ice; he is looking at me with pure malice.

Pokemon Obtained: 1

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Charcoal the Charmander;; Level 5;; Male;; Brave

Party:

Charcoal the Charmander;; Level 6;; Male;; Brave

Lost:

None


	2. AWOL

Now what do I do? Leto and Nate went home after leaving the Lab. They wanted to say another goodbye to their families. I went home, too, but never went in; I'm just sitting under a tree nearby so I can collect my thoughts. Oak is pissed, but I still have to wait at least another ten minutes to make sure my friends have left. It probably wouldn't matter anyway, since Charcoal has imprinted with me. This was my only chance to keep my secret, but I screwed it up. Now I might have to go to jail, since technically I owned a Pokemon. I wouldn't put it past Oak to press charges. As nice as he acted in public, I knew how bad he was when he was alone. He had wanted to lock me up the first time, so now…..

I want to cry, but the tears just won't come.

"When are we leaving, Master?" I almost jump out of my skin. I whip my head around only to find little Charcoal. Two tendrils of smoke waft out of his nostrils and fade as they rise into the air. I didn't notice him come out of his ball. He snorts and raises his head up, eyes wide. I look around. It wasn't he who talked….. Was it? "Well?"

That answers my question. He did. Am I going crazy?

"H-how did you….?" My throat still hurts from earlier and still sounds a little gruff. He's silent just long enough for me to feel silly.

"Talking? One of the other Pokemon explained it me one time. He was an owned Pokemon, and he told me that those balls you keep us in have special chips in them. Those chips let us understand you and you understand us. A bit odd, I will admit, especially since I don't remember eating any chips…." I am relived I'm not going crazy, but I had no idea Pokeballs could do that. "Now, back to my original question. When are we leaving?"

"We're…. not."

"Why?"

"Um… well….." I stammer and stutter for a few minutes. People usually give up talking to me when I do that, but Charcoal looks determined to get me to answer. I don't want to explain. He seems so happy to be out of that lab and have a Trainer that I don't want to break his little heart. So I don't. I pick up my things and walk towards Pallet's north exit, motioning for him to follow.

The wild is amazing. I've been out of town a few times, but that was in a car. This is different. I'm moving at my own pace, and the surrounding nature is so lush and free. It's nothing like the tamed feeling of that town, with it's identical houses and manicured grass. A path is worn to dirt that poofs up onto my white shies when I walk, and occasionally I have to cut through tall grass that tickles my legs. I can hear birds calling to each other from the trees and watch as Charcoal chases grasshoppers that wander to close.

As peaceful as this is, a voice in my head nags me that I shouldn't be doing this. I do my best to put it out of my mind.

The sun's shine overhead begins to heat up, and I get lazy and sluggish. Now would be a good time to sit down and check what was in my pack. I knew that mom had put some stuff in there. It was so it would be more convincing if I had to take anything out. I find a rock sitting under the shady part of a tree and park myself, then dump out the contents of my bag. I have…. Two Potions (One a nice man had given me earlier, the other must have already been in there), Five empty poke balls (Those had come from Oak), a Town Map (Mom, I guess), 3080 dollars (Mom, again), a few 'personal items', and my Trainer card.

I turn my Trainer card over in my hand. I don't know why it was called a Trainer card. Everyone had one, Trainer or not. Mine is a basic blue with a small picture of myself on it. It also has my name, age, gender, and all of that other identification stuff on it. A big black star is printed next to my name. This symbol meant I can't carry Pokemon legally. I sigh and put everything back into place, making the most of all the pockets and pouches my bag has. When I am done, I look up at Charcoal.

He is a little ways off, stalking a cricket. He has been silent the entire time we have been walking. This is probably his first time out of the lab, so I haven't pestered him by talking. He is on his belly, tail wagging in the air, and slowly sliding towards the bug. When he thinks he is in range, he jumps, overshoots his target, and lands in the bushes. I giggle. Not something I normally do but it is funny.

Well, it is funny until he yells. The bush stars to shake and he explodes back out, a Pokemon clawing at his head. I start shaking. I recognize the Pokemon attacking him. Kanto's national bird. The Tiny Pokemon. A Pidgey. Bed memory. Bad, bad memory. Another cry from him tears me from my thoughts. He swats helplessly at the little bird, and I can see blood beading up on his head where it is clawing him.

"Use Scratch!" He calms down some, then smacks the bird out of the air with his own claws. Before it can retaliate he is on it, tearing at its wings and chest. Feathers fly, and for a minute I am afraid he might kill it. I don't want that to happen. Not again.

I pull out one of the empty balls from my pack and fling it at the bird. It hits, and the Pidgey is turned into red energy and sucked inside. Charcoal blinks, still in battle mode, wondering where his opponent has gone. The ball shakes. Once…. Twice… Thrice….. Then falls to the side and lay motionless. I am slightly dumbfounded. I hear the rest of the balls click in my pack, and I know there will be no more Pokemon caught on this Route. But…. I have just caught a Pokemon. Taking Charcoal was one thing, but this…. I don't even want to think about it.

So instead of thinking about it, I pick up the ball and me and Charcoal continue on our way.

We are almost out of the Route when we are attacked again. It is a little purple mouse. It jumps out of some grass and gnashes its long teeth at Charcoal, then tries to bite me. Charcoal jumps in front of me so it can't. When he does, he turns sharply. This makes flecks of flame shoot off his tail. They hit the mouse, who cries out in pain and runs off, singed. Charcoal looks at me and tests it out a few more times on a stump we find nearby. We agree to call this new move Ember.

We arrive at the Viridian City Pokecenter around noon. Charcoal is a little worse for the wear, but still energetic. I worry about the Pidgey in my pocket, since it had been bleeding and in pain this entire time. I hope it has not passed away while we have been walking. I am a very sad to be here, but a little relieved. When the nurse asks for my Trainer card and sees I am an Invalid, she will turn me over and I can go home.

The center is mostly empty, save for two boys about my age who are flirting with the nurse and an elderly man reading a paper at one of the many tables. A few computers are cluttered together in the corner, and a sign over head says they are free to use. On the opposite side of the room is a line of shut in telephones, again free to use. A set of stairs that go up lead to an overhanging, another sign saying you can Trade up there. A set of stairs going down leads to free rooms for travelers.

I am nervous, but I have been standing here long enough. I approach the counter and the nurse looks up. She is fairly pretty, with big pink hair and a happy face. "Welcome to our Pokemon Center!" You can hear the sunshine and rainbows and unicorns in her voice. "Would you like me to heal your Pokemon back to perfect health?" I nod and hand her the Pidgey's Pokeball, then pick up Charcoal and sit him on the counter. She puts him back into his Pokeball, then sets them both onto a strange machine and turns it on. A white light pulsates over the balls. Will that really heal them?

"It won't take very long, since neither of the Pokemon were seriously wounded." Almost bleeding to death wasn't seriously wounded? My Mew, what could that machine do?

"By the way, are you from Pallet Town?" I nod slowly. Where had this come from? "Oh so you are Tae!" I'm caught. "A boy about your age came through a little bit ago, and while I was healing his Squirtle he told me all about how you two battled and you won! He said you had a Charmander, so I just had to ask!" She giggled and looked over at the two boys (they were standing there the entire time) and they nodded and smiled as well. I try to smile back, but I'm sure I just look sick. "He said he just couldn't wait to battle you again! He left a little bit ago, but I think he said he was going to the cape to train…" The machine dinged, and she was interrupted. She turned around and picked my balls up, then handed them to me. "Thank you for waiting! We've restored your Pokemon to full health! Come back later if you need a place to stay for the night. We hope to see you again!"

I stare, then nod, then leave. May as well stay the night. It will probably be my last chance to stay in a nice, warm bed before I go prison. But before I do that, I don't want to disappoint Leto. She said he was at the cape, training for another battle. Even with my inexperience, I know my Pokemon are weak. I need to train as well.

I go to the entrance of the cape. This Route 22 according to my map, so I should be able to catch another Pokemon. I'll get in just as much trouble for catching two Pokemon than one, so why the hell not? I am rewarded early on, as almost immediately I'm challenged by a Pokemon. It has cream and brown fur, a nose like a pig, mean eyes, and looks kind of like a monkey. I order Charcoal to use Scratch. He does, slicing the monkey's nose. This just seems to make it mad, and it Scratches Charcoal back, slicing his chest. Charcoal retaliates with another Scratch, it sits down and is visibly having trouble breathing. I throw a Pokeball. It shakes once….. Twice….. Poof! It pops back out. I try again. This time it works.

I'm running low on Pokeballs, so I decide to cut training short for a few minutes and go back into town to buy some more. The inside of the Pokemart is crammed full of fatty snacks, sugary drinks, dirty books, cheap toys, and other mini mart fare. All of the Trainer items, like Balls and Potions, are kept behind the desk under lock and key. I buy a pack of beef jerky, a bottle of water, and then ask for some Pokeballs.

"May I see your Trainer card, please?" The attendant seems nice enough, and I know he means me no ill will, but I know the jig is up. I reach into the pocket of my pack I keep it in, cling tightly to it and….. Pull out an empty hand. I make a big show of patting myself down, then empty my pack onto the counter (in a way the card won't fall out) and searching everything. I put on a cheesy frown and shrug my shoulders, muttering something about leaving it at home. The attendant frowns himself, but doesn't seem mad or suspicious. "Just come back when you have it with you, alright?"

I nod and promise I will, even though I won't.

I heal my Pokemon again and go back to training after that. I can tell I'll have a long session, because it seems like all of that monkey's friends jump out and attack me. Charcoal takes care of them quickly with his new Ember move, making them flee with their tails on fire. He gets strong fast, and what started by taking two or three Embers now only takes one. I tell him to sit out so I can train my other two Pokemon.

I call out the Pidgey. He blinks, then looks around a bit, then turns to me. He hops forward, notices Charcoal, and shutters. He looks up at me with big, watery eyes and says: "You're not going to eat me, are you?" He's being serious, but I laugh out loud at that. He tilts his head and takes another tentative step forward.

"We're not going to eat you….. Um…. Wedge. I'm your Trainer now." Wow. That is the most I have ever said at one time in years. Wedge tilts his head at me, then chirps a little tune. He opens his wings and flaps, kicking up a little shower of dust, then takes of. He lands on my shoulder, digging in his little claws. And tweets again.

"I get it, I'm Wedge!"

Training Wedge is a lot harder than training Charcoal. He's weaker than my Charmander was, and doesn't really get the point of fighting. Charcoal has to step in a lot and help, but eventually he gets the hang of it. After one battle session, I had an idea. I told Wedge to flap his wings like he did earlier, but stay on the ground. He did, and it made a small shower of sand and dirt fly up. When he did, if flew towards Charcoal, hitting his eyes. He rubbed at them and said they hurt, then took a swipe at Wedge. He missed, and the new move Sand- Attack was born.

About half an hour later, we have another breakthrough. Wedge was in battle with one of those pig-monkeys. It shrieked something out that I couldn't understand. "She is not!" He yelled at it. His feathers were all ruffled now, and he flapped his wings together in anger. This made a little spout of wind, which he somehow managed to shoot at his foe. Along the way it picked up little rocks, and when it hit not only did it slam the monkey to the ground, it also cut and bruised him. He ran away, and Wedge landed on my shoulder, still puffed up, muttering to himself. Of course, we practiced this new attack until he mastered it, and by the time he was done with Gust, it was the monkey's turn to train.

I'm not having as much luck training him as I did Charcoal and Wedge. As soon as I called him out and declared him to be Brutus, he flopped down and started picking his nose. Yes, he understood that I was his Trainer now, but he just didn't care. The first few battles, Charcoal had to do all the work. Brutus just sat there, still mining for gold. I sighed and called him back into his ball. There would be no work from this one, I could see. So I marched back over to the Pokecenter so I could figure out how to Store him.

It was easier than I had thought to store him. I feel bad about it, but there is nothing I can do. So I go back to my training place, determined to get something done. This time, I am not alone.

"I thought I heard fighting from over here." I am looking at my feet as I walk, so I'm surprised when I hear Leto's voice. He is sitting on the ground and oh sweet mercy he has his shirt off. I stop, take in the sight before me, and use every bit of restraint in my body not to jump him. I mean….. Celebi, I knew he liked to keep in shape, but this is just….

"Tae?" Crap, he said something and I was to busy ogling to catch it. I discreetly wipe the drool from my chin and nod in the most seductive way I can. Which isn't a lot. At least I tried. He smiles and jumps up, reaching into his pants pocket. "Sweet! I knew you would battle me again!" Wait, what?

To late for me to back down. I call out Charcoal, and he brings out a Pidgey. So he captured one as well. It tweets, but looks a lot more determined than Wedge does. It flaps its wings and hovers in the air. "Scratch!" It flies at Charcoal, but he ducks out of the way and retaliates with a Scratch of his own, ripping a few feathers from the little birds back. It flies higher in the air and begins to whip up a small tornado, just like Wedge had done. With a flick of it's wing, the twister is sent flying at Charcoal. There's not enough time to get out of the way, so he braces himself for the impact. The winds knock him back and the rocks in it scrape him, but he doesn't fall down.

"Ember!" As the last of the winds dissipate, Charcoal jumps as high as he can and does a sharp twist in mid- air. The Pidgey tries to dodge it, but the fire hits it's wing. It falls from the sky and slams into the ground hard, but stands back up. It's burnt wing is folded against it's side, so it can't fly anymore. I tell Charcoal to go in for the last attack, but just as he gets close enough to land a good Scratch, it uses the last bit of strength in it's uninjured wing to send a spray of sand straight into his eyes. Charcoal cries out, but manages to land his attack, which knocks the Pidgey unconscious. Charcoal stands down and rubs at his eyes, but I know this isn't over. The Pidgey is called back into its ball.

"You did a good job, Wings. Come on, Shells, lets do this!" He tosses the ball over his head, and it has the effects of releasing his Squirtle and outlining his god- like physique. I didn't know I was such a horny school- girl.

Shells looks great, and I can tell this will be a tough battle, but at least I have the upper hand. Charcoal might be a little weak, but I still have Wedge in reserve, and he's in perfect health. The fight starts with Shells swaying his tail back and forth in a very cute manner. Charcoal can't exactly see this at the moment, but the fact he didn't get attacked did lower his defenses a little. I have him attack with a Scratch, figuring that an Ember wouldn't do much. He charges at Shells, but misses by a long shot because of the grit in his eyes. I have him try in again, and this time he manages to land it. He hits Shell's shell, though, so it doesn't do much. Shells Tackles him while he's close at hand. Charcoal still has a lot of fight left in him, but I don't want to risk it, so I call him back and let Wedge out.

Wedge explodes out of his Pokeball, only to meet a swift Tackle from Shells. I waste no time instructing Wedge to fly in the air, then have him whip up his own Gust attack. It lands, dealing massive damage to Shells. But Shells isn't beaten yet. He gets back up and tries to land another Tackle, only to miss. Wedge is up in the air, so I don't expect it to hit anyway, but the next move does surprise me.

"Water Gun!" Shells cheeks bulge out, and then a gush of water shoots out. It soaks Wedge, and the force of it knocks him to the ground. He slowly gets back up, feathers dripping and coughing up water. This doesn't look good. I don't know what to do next, but then I notice Shells. That last Gust attack really took a lot out of him, and he's breathing pretty hard. Another good attack should end this.

"Scratch!" Wedge fluffs himself up, then runs as fast as his little legs will carry at the turtle. He jumps up, and grazes Shells across the face. Blood wells up from the marks, and Shells falls to the ground. He's bleeding and he's unconscious like his team mate. I think I've won. Wedge comes back to me, and I pat him on the head before calling him back into his Pokeball. I look over at Leto. He's frowning, but I don't think he's angry.

"You're really good, Tae. I thought for sure that strategy would work.." He's thinking hard, like he was before. He picks up Shells and walks over to me, then offers to walk me back to town. I smile and accept his offer. We've both been training for a while and our Pokemon are spent. What we all need is a good rest and some sleep. I decide as we walk into the Pokecenter that what I want is to spend as much time with my pokemon and with Leto as possible, even if I am an Invalid.

Pokemon Obtained: 3

This Chapter: 2

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Wedge the Pidgey;; Level 3;; Male;; Naïve

Brutus the Mankey;; Level 2;; Male;; Lax

Party:

Charcoal the Charmander;; Level 11;; Male;; Brave

Wedge the Pidgey;; Level 10;; Male;; Naive

Lost:

None


	3. Travel

Last night was amazing. Maybe not my wildest fantasy, but pretty good. After we gave our Pokemon to the nurse, me and Leto went to a small local shop and ate dinner. It was kind of cheap and my food was swimming in grease, but being there with him made it great. I never got to talk to Leto alone very much. It was all because of that whore Nate. I ruined her alone time as well, but that's what she gets for ruining mine.

We talked a lot about Pokemon and our dreams. And by 'we' I meant 'him'. I just smiled like an oaf and nodded when I deemed it necessary. He had put his shirt back on (unfortunately), but it was still nice to look at him. After our meal he walked me back to the Pokemon center. We collected our Pokemon and said good night, then went to our borrowed rooms.

I had a hard time getting to sleep. Every bump sounded like the police about to bust in on me, and I was on edge almost all night. When I did sleep, it was fitful and full of nightmares I couldn't remember. I made it count, and didn't wake up until a half hour till noon. I didn't feel like getting ready, so I just brushed my hair and teeth, wiped my face with a damp washcloth, and marinated in some perfume.

A note was taped to my door. It was in Leto's handwriting. He talked about how he was sorry for leaving me alone, but thought it would be best if we all (Nate was included in this, damn her) traveled separately. He couldn't wait to battle me again, and promised to be even stronger. I was sad I couldn't spend more time with him, but I guess I understood.

Now I am sitting in front of one of the telephones. I stare at the blank screen, putting off what I'm about to do. As I stare at it, I wonder why almost every home has a video screen phone, but we don't have jetpacks or teleporters. Or at least something more efficient than cars. Enough waiting, though. I need to do this. The phone screen buzzes to life and a bell chiming signifies the ringing an old phone did. The person I am calling picks up on the second ring. Mom stares back at me.

"Honey, where are you?" she is acting nice, so someone must be there with her. I can still see the disappointment in her eyes. I want to explain, but don't. Instead I just pull out my two Pokeballs and show her them. She gasps, and the accusations she can't say are written on her face. Someone takes the phone from her, and I see it is Nate. I guess that explains why I wasn't arrested yesterday. The agreement was that I give the Pokemon back after Nate and Leto left, but Nate decided to stay home another night.

"How dare you two!" She spits this at me both figuratively and literally; I can see specks of saliva on the screen now. "You had better not be trying to make off with my man, Tae! I will beat you within an inch of your life it you do! And not with my pokemon either! Where is he I wanna tal-"

I hang up and leave the Pokemon Center. My welcome is worn. Since Nate will probably leave that minute so she can catch up with me. Oak will be wanting his Pokemon back, and mom didn't tell him I was missing. He will be after me soon.

The walk out of town is north, and I'm going at a pretty good pace. I notice a Gym, but I don't have time to investigate. In the outer, more woody part of town I see a strange shrub. All around it is white fence to keep nature at bay, but this shrub stands out. I approach, and see a small blue bottle just behind it. A Potion, and it looks unused. I reach my hand to grab it, but just as I'm about to push the shrub away I hear someone call "STOP!" and my hand is yanked away.

"That plant is very poisonous to humans!" Its an old man. "One little touch, and you're dead!" I rub my hand where he grabbed it. That had hurt. I question him about ways to get by it, and he says that its not poisonous to Pokemon, and some can even chop them down. I thank him for the information, then have Wedge go over it and retrieve the Potion. it's a little dirty, but still perfectly good, so I stuff it in my pack.

I speed up again, and soon I'm in Route 2. There's not much tall grass, but a lot more of those plants. I avoid them and come to a patch of tall grass just outside a big building. I go into the grass, but the first Pokemon I find is another Pidgey. I let it go, and the balls left in my bag click. No more Pokemon here. I go into the building. It is long, narrow, and has another opening at the other end. A few people are milling around, and I overhear that this is the segway that leads into a maze of a forest. A maze is good, because I stand a better chance of avoiding trouble. Plus I might get the another chance to catch a Pokemon. I make my way to the other door and go out. I'm shocked to see that though this place is a maze, a nice little path has been cut out for people to use. I scoff at it and decide to take my chances in the trees.

Maybe not my best idea, but I do find a Pokeball on the ground after poking around a bit. Apparently I'm not the only one who came this way, though, because I meet a boy who tells me all his friends are here looking for Bug Pokemon, and they want to battle. Great. The tall grass really itches my legs. Its not like the grass in Route One or even at the cape. I can hear things moving on this grass, and know to avoid certain places, and it bothers me that I don't know what's hiding there. Any more of this and I could go mad.

We walk for a long time, Charcoal at my side and Wedge on my shoulder. They are quiet and seem on edge. I can't figure out why, as everything around us is silent and calm. Then I see it. A small clearing with no up- to- my- knees grass and a nice, bug tree to rest under. It is hot and humid in this forest. I'm starting to sweat and I'm parched. I hope to just rest, but then I remember that water I bought yesterday. I never drank it, so it should be in my bag. I get it and the jerky out. I eat one slice, pick another one out and hold it, drain half the water, then give Wedge and Charcoal the rest. Not exactly Pokefood, but they look like they're enjoying it.

My arm is itching a little, but I could care less. Charcoal stiffens, and Wedge coughs up a piece of jerky. Their eyes are wide and looking at my itching arm. I now feel that the itching is moving. I look down, and see a very big bug with a very long stinger is on me. I freeze. Charcoal inches forward slowly. The bug is on my hand now, happily nibbling the half eaten jerky I'm holding. He swipes it off of me with a Scratch. It lands on its side, curls up into a ball, and shoots out a steam of white stuff from it's mouth. The stuff doesn't go anywhere, and instead falls on the bug. The bug shakes and shivers and Charcoal appears over it, about to make the kill. He raises his arm for another attack and-

"Charcoal. Don't."

I take out the ball I found earlier. This thing is a Pokemon, and I'm not going to kill it senselessly. I drop the ball on it, and it doesn't even shake. This Pokemon is mine now. I let it out to see if I need to find a way back to town. It's not as hurt as it first seemed, but is scared and sticky.

"I'm sorry I tried to steal your food. I was so hungry, and the Caterpie eat everything before I can get to it…."

"Its alright, Basil." I'm surprised how soothing my voice sounds. I give him the rest of the jerky. He chokes it down, and acts like he wants more, but I have none. I offer him my free shoulder and tell the others its time to go. Wedge jumps on his perch, and Charcoal files in next to me.

After a little while, I decide Basil needs to be trained. Wedge was scared when I first caught him, but after I explained myself he was alright; chipper, even. Little Basil is still scared and cowering. Maybe he's just the nervous type, or maybe it has something to do with why my other guys are so quiet and alert. We find fat green bugs similar to him, thing starving things of the same species, and many cocoons. The green cocoons hang on the trees in shady, hard to spot places; the brown ones are on the ground and I almost step on a few. Something is always rustling in the bushes, and when I look I think I see a little flash of yellow.

He gets stronger and stronger. After every battle Basil eats as much plant life as possible before we have to move on. After a little while, he crawls into my pack. I let him rest, knowing that he has earned it. We walk a while longer, but my pack feels heaver than it did earlier. We stop so I can take a look.

One of those brown cocoons is in there.

It looks a lot better than those other ones we found. It's shiny and glossy and sturdy, while those others look fragile and some are cracked. I know it doesn't really do anything, so I lift it out and look for Basil. He is not there. I look down at the cocoon in my arms. It blinks its black eyes. "Basil?" It blinks rapidly. Did he… evolve? I wish I could have seen. I smile down at him and place him back in my bag.

I was not imagining things when I thought I saw yellow. It had been quiet for a while, and I saw another flash as we passed a gap in some trees. I stopped and looked back. It was a little mouse Pokemon with big ears and red cheeks. A Pikachu. Pikachu are very rare and one of the most wanted Pokemon out there, as it is said that the great hero had one. They're population has declined so much that now they only resided in this forest, and in a very small number.

It had it's back to us. It was trying to pull something off a tree, but I couldn't get a good look from where I was. I ventured closer. This Pikachu was not one of the cute, noble creatures I saw on TV. It's fur was ragged and dirty, and it looked like big chunks had been taken out of it and healed funny. It was not healthy in any way, form or fashion. Whatever it was after gave, and I saw one of the brown cocoons crash to the ground. A few sparks crackled off it's cheeks. I let loose a crack of electricity and began to fry the cocoon. I gasp and stepped back. A twig snapped underfoot.

The Pikachu stopped what it was doing and turned around. It's face was horrible. Patches of fur were missing, revealing pink, scarred flesh. One eyes was gone and in its place was an empty socket. The worst was it's teeth. They were sharp and jagged in a way that shouldn't be. It's nose twitched as it looked around. It didn't take it long to spot me. When it did, it charged at me full speed. Charcoal jumped in the way and hit it with an Ember. It shocked him with a bolt of lightning. He clawed it with a Scratch. It's bleeding badly now along with being burnt. It hisses, then bolts away.

I'm not sure how to take what just happened, so I distract myself instead. I go over to the cocoon that was just attacked and pick it up. I can't take it with me, but I can maybe hide it. I stand up on my tip- toes and put it in the crux of the highest branch I can reach, then cover it up with as many leaves I can find. It looks camouflaged and can't be seen, so I am able to leave it.

Something is wrong in this forest.

I feel like I'm being watched. After that encounter we've all been tense. Something is going to happen, we just don't know what. We go deeper and deeper, and as we go signs of life become scarcer and scarcer. No little worms. No cocoons. No yellow rats. Plants are withering and dried out. This isn't good.

A huge tree is up ahead. The way it towers over the other trees makes me think it might be the forest's center. We get closer, and my veins chill. A man is slumped over against the tree. He is bloody and dirty. Those monstrous Pikachu, ten or fifteen of them, surround him. They are clawing at him and biting. Killing him.

"We have to stop this." Charcoal looks up at me, hoping for approval. There are a lot of them and one of our teammates is incapacitated right now, but I agree. We can't let this man die. We creep as close as we can get. I notice that more Pikachu are lined up around the tree, but not helping. They look normal. Empty- eyed and dirty, but normal. The others are the ones that are frightening.

The man moans in pain. We can stand it no longer. We leap. Charcoal and Wedge manage to take down one apiece before they realize what is happening. I can do nothing but watch. I am so useless. They hack and they flap and they snap, but I may have underestimated the Pikachu's numbers. Dimly I note that the one's on the outer circle do nothing but watch, and it is only the mutated one's that attack. But they are so savage. The tide of the battle turns in their favor, and Wedge and Charcoal are pushed back. Some of them now notice.

My Pokemon are fighting roughly seven each, so they don't notice when three branch off and come at me. I yell, but over the noise they can't hear. I am defenseless. I hear a faint cracking sound as one of them jumps at me. I close my eyes and brace myself for the pain…

That never comes.

I crack open my eyes and see a big bee is holding off them off. It quickly finishes them with its three sharp stingers and venom, then joins the fray to help Charcoal and Wedge. While the numbers might not be on our side, my Pokemon are stronger. The bee takes down the last Pikachu six minutes after the fight starts. The bee and Charcoal are tired, but otherwise fine. Wedge is badly hurt and can't move, so I put him in his Pokeball. We go over to the man. He is in pain and bleeding badly, but alive and conscious. I help him to his feet.

A Pikachu comes out of the circle. Charcoal jumps in front of me and growls, but she doesn't look like the vicious Pikachu. In fact, she doesn't look like the normal Pikachu either. She is a dark orange rather than a bright yellow. She speaks to Charcoal, who relaxes some what. He listens intently for some time, and when she stops he turns to translate.

"She says, 'Thank you for freeing us from the wrath of those Human- Eaters. I will guide you back to your fellow humans as gratitude.' I'm not sure we can trust her, but she's all we got for now, so….. I'll protect you if anything happens."

The Pikachu explains to us what is going on as we travel. Apparently the Pikachu in this forest have a tradition of watching Trainers. When they find one who is worthy and kind, they will appear to them as for a chance to be captured. But for the last few generations, the Trainer they found to be worthy would not capture them. One of the Pikachu grew resentful, and spoke of a new time where they would be in charge, not the humans. Some went over to his side, but the ones who didn't he and his gang terrorized into being passive. The Beedrill kin did not like this and opposed this gang, but the leader bribed the Butterfree kin to his side. He said that if they fought for him and met a few agreements, he would ensure that all Caterpie fully evolved strong and healthy. This "agreement" was that all Butterfree are allowed to have one clutch of eggs, then must leave the forest. Butterfree leave eggs after they are laid anyway, so to ensure they would live was a good deal for them.

With the Butterfree help, they killed all of the Beedrill. The Weedle and Kakuna were left alive, but were starved while they grew, and murdered as soon as they fully evolved. With them out of the way, he could achieve his goal. They would lure humans foolish enough to travel alone into traps, then take them back to that tree and eat them. It wasn't natural, so many of them opposed it, but they never said it. They just watched, afraid to interfere. With that gang gone, the forest could return to peace and balance.

It's quiet for a long time after she's done. Those laws, as good as they sound, keep getting worse and worse.

"'But I must know,'" Charcoal translated, "'why do you humans no longer want us?'"

They must not know about the new laws we have now. I tell her that it's not that we don't want them, it's that we can't catch them. She looks at me, confused, so I explain best I can. She says she understands, and will tell her kin as soon as possible so nothing like this ever happens again.

The main path I scoffed at earlier is in site. A boy is standing on it, milling around. I yell to him. He looks up, then runs towards us. I am relived. He helps me get the man to a large log house nearby. It is a small Pokecenter, all the way out here. There are three nurses inside. Two rush for the man as soon as we get in, the other comes over to me. She checks me over, sees that I am fine, then I give her Charcoal and Wedge, and even the bee that helped me. The orange Pikachu is gone, so I assume she left as soon as she saw we were safe.

I am tired and hungry, but no rest yet. When the free nurse comes back with my Pokemon, she whisks me away to a secluded room and questions me as to what happened. I tell her all I know, even what the Pikachu explained to me. She is shocked. After my story is over she rushes out with instructions to rest, and that she must go tell what has happened. I let Charcoal and Wedge back out of their balls. Charcoal and the bee pester Wedge to find out if he is all right now. I take this free time to check on Basil.

The shell is in my bag, but not him.

"Basil?" I pull out the shell and the bee comes over. He tilts his head in questioning. I stare at him. He stares back. Two and two come together in my head. I question my intelligence. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted too, but couldn't find the right moment. I mean, you were being attacked when it happened, and then everything was so tense….. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Basil. Just don't keep stuff like that from me again; I was worried something had happened to you while we were all distracted."

"O-oh? Really? W-well, there's no need to be…."

Before I could protest, he flew back over to Wedge. Wedge looks a lot better, and now my boys are trading battle stories. I think some of it may be exaggerated, but I won't say a word.

Pokemon Obtained: 4

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Basil the Weedle;; Level 5;; Male;; Modest

Party:

Charcoal the Charmander;; Level 12;; Male;; Brave

Wedge the Pidgey;; Level 12;; Male;; Naïve

Basil the Beedrill;; Level 11;; Male;; Modest

Lost:

None


	4. Challenge

Killer Pikachus. Who would have thunk it? Me, apparently. xD I don't really like Pikachu that much. It and it's evolutions get way too much attention, and then other, better, Pokemon are out there and no one likes them. Aside from that, Tae does fight the first Gym leader in this chapter, and we get a new Pokemon. Look forward to that. =D I'm also going to start putting a list of Items I found. It gets rreally repetavite for me to write what she found, and I'm sure it would get boring on you readers. I will list important items, but not the most basic ones. I also wanna thank BurningMoon for the reviews; it's very appreciated! Anyway, thats enough yapping oyt of me; enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The nurses protested, but I left the Center after a two hour nap and a nice meal. It was close to dusk, but after checking my map I was confident I could make it to Pewter before it was unbearably dark if I stuck to the path. As I was going out the door the man I saved stopped me. He said he was a Pokemon researcher, and his name was Maple. He had been researching the reason the plight of the Beedrill when he got ambushed by those Pikachu. He thanked me many times over, gave me two Potions, an Antidote, and his contact information that if I ever needed anything ever, I knew who to call.

I thought it would be a lot easier from then on, but apparently the nurse told my story to more than just the other nurses. Many Trainers were on this path, and almost all of them wanted to battle with the hero girl. Almost all of them had Bug types, so they were no match for Charcoal and Wedge. Charcoal did learn a neat trick from it, though. When he concentrated, his claws would sharpen and turn harder than metal. He called it Metal Claw, and it stuck. Other than these few things, it was pretty uneventful for us until we got to town.

I stop by the Pokemon Center, even though my team isn't that tired. It's a lot more crowded than the other two I've been to. Some old man is chatting noisily on a cell phone by the door, and some kids are trading Pokemon on a simulation RPG training game. One girl comes up to me and wants me to pick out a "profile saying" from a big list of words. I put 'I AM A HOT BABE" for shits and giggles. It's kind of late, but that nap I had earlier has left me to energized to turn in for today. Maybe exploring will help.

As it turns out, I've been referring to this place as a 'town' but it's actually a 'city'. It's not a very big one and contains mostly residences, but it has a museum and a Gym. I want to go to the museum but it's closed, and the Gym doesn't really interest me. In my aimless wandering I stumble across a poster. It says that in a promotion for a local shoe store, all people able to beat the local Gym Leader will get a free pair of Running Shoes. I look down at my own shoes. They are comfortable, but not so good for running. A visit to that Gym might be beneficial.

I'm not expecting what I see when I arrive. It's a big, rectangular building with no real distinguishing features other than a large "Pewter City Gym" sign in front of it. Automatic sliding doors are in the front, and it looks open, so I let myself in. Inside are a bunch of sweaty, half naked men. Pokemon that look like rocks and boulders are all around. Some of the men battle the Pokemon, so train with them, other wrestle them. Silence falls and all of them look up when I come in the room. One of the closer ones approaches me, a smirk on his face.

"What'cha doin' here, little girlie'? Shirley yer not here tah fight Brock."

I say nothing. I only nod. The men here must find that extremely hilarious, as they all burst into laughter.

"Awws…. Little girlie thins she can play with the big boys. Well, how 'bout this? You manage to beat me and a few of mah buddies, and I'll let cha' face Brock? Sound fare?"

I don't say anything again. I just let Charcoal out of his ball. The men laugh at me again.

"What cha' think ya' can do with that little runt? You're in a ROCK Gym, girlie, and Rock types eat Fire types for breakfast!"

The first oaf lets out a giant rock with arms. Charcoal beats three of these things with his new Metal Claw. Jaws drop and another man steps up. We beat him. And another one. And another one. A boy comes out. He looks like he's wearing a Boy Scouts uniform and is about my age. He looks at me, then to the beaten men.

"What are you idiots doing? You now you're not supposed to deny challengers to Brock!" Boy must have power, because the men that are twice his age and size sneak off with there tails between their legs. "And you!" He points to me. "… you just beat some of our best Trainers with a Charmander, but… I'm more than enough for you. I'm the very best Gym Trainer in this place….and Brock is Ten Thousand light years above you!"

Idiot.

Looks like another battle. Boy Scout calls out yet another rock- arm. It looks tougher than the other ones. Even though Charcoal just battled, it wasn't particularly strenuous on him. He charges right out of the gate with a Metal Claw. I've found that's the only thing that really does anything to these things, so might as well spam it up. It yells out a few obscenities, then closes its eyes and stiffens up when it's told to Harden. I use Metal Claw again, and while it doesn't do as much, this thing is on it's last leg (haha). It Tackles Charcoal, but that does very little. He uses Metal Claw one last time, and the fact the rock faints pumps him up and makes him stronger. The next thing Cub Scout sends out is new. It's a little sandy mouse- ball- thing. I'm slightly worried, but when he slices it with his Metal Claw, he must hit something vital, because it faints almost instantly.

Scout admits defeat, and Charcoal throws puffs out his chest, throws his head back, and starts laughing. And glowing. He's glowing as well. White lights engulfs him, but he doesn't seem to notice. He grows up and out. A small horn forms on his head and his claws become larger and sharper. He is still laughing, and I can hear his voice get slightly deeper and more gruff. He is now a lot more angular, and his mouth is filled with big sharp teeth instead of little sharp teeth. He's more red than orange, and now comes a little over my chest instead of my knees. He stops laughing and notices.

"What the hell?" He looks at his claws and his arms and his feet and everything else he can see. He looks confused for a moment, but then gets a big toothy grin on his face. "Lets fight the Gym Leader now, Tae! I feel like a million bucks!" I smile and look pointedly at Scout. He sighs and agrees to take me to this Brock.

He's in the very back of the Gym. He looks a little older than me, and like everyone else is half dressed. He is chiseled, but not attractive like Leto is. His eyes are shut and he has weird eyebrows. His hair is so spiked up with gel it looks stiff. Ick.

"So, you are the challenger that disrupted my Gym tonight. I, Brock, Pewter City's Gym Leader hereby accept your challenge! My rock- hard will power is evident even in my Pokemon. My Pokemon are all rock- hard,-" Charcoal snickers at this. "-and have true grit determination. That's right; my Pokemon are all the Rock Type!" Duh, dude. "Fuhaha! You're going to challenge me knowing that you'll lose? That's the Trainer's honor that compels you to challenge me." Good Celebi this dude is long winded. "Fine, then! Show me your best!" Finally.

Charcoal steps forward and I backup and away from the battle. Brock sends out an arm- lump. What is with those things here? It looks stronger than Scout's, but not by much, and it implements the exact same strategy. I am too, just spamming Metal Claw, but this is just sad. Charcoal swipes it once, and it Tackles back. This attack does practically nothing to Charcoal. He swipes again, and it raises it's defense by hugging itself with Defense Curl. One more claw and it's gone. I feel pretty good that that was so easy, and so is Charcoal.

Brock sends out a giant rock snake. Crap.

It looks like it's made out of the stuff the arm- rocks were, so the same plan should work. I have Charcoal use Metal Claw again. He runs up, his claws glowing, and slices it a few times on it's side. It cries out in pain, so this should work. Brock orders a Rock Tomb. The snake picks up one of the interiors decorative boulders and flings it at Charcoal. He does his best to leap out of the way, but it catches his foot and I can tell it did a lot of damage to him and slowed him down. I consider calling him back or forfeiting, but before I can he uses Metal Claw again. The rock- snake roars and flings itself into the air. I think Charcoal almost shits at the idea of being 'Tackled' like that by this thing, but he manages to get the hell outta' dodge just in time. Snake roars again and tries to Bind Charcoal with it's tail. It misses and he slashes it with another Metal Claw. It's getting pretty weak now, and it's plan to grab Charcoal backfired, because now he's on top of it and running up it's great back, trying to get to it's head. It tries to Bind him again, but just grazes him with it's tail. It's to late anyway. Charcoal's claws are glowing and he's at it's head. He slices it right between it's eyes. It falls over, shaking the entire Gym. A gaping wound is on it's head. Maybe not enough to kill the thing, but it might have some serious mental handicaps now.

"You….." Charcoal hops off of it's head and nonchalantly walks over to me. He's tired, but he's 'to cool' to show it. Brock stares in disbelief at what just happened for a moment. "I….. I took you for granted….. And so I lost." He calls his snake back into it's ball, then approaches me. He pulls a little pin out of his pocket. "As proof of your victory, I confer on you this….. The official Pokemon League Bolderbadge." He pulls something else out of his pocket. A small yellow case, just the size and shape to carry CDs in. "You…. You just kicked both my and most of my Gym members asses with one Pokemon, and one that was of a weak Type Advantage….. You deserve this as well. It's a TM, a Technical Machine; number thirty- nine to be exact. TMs have one Pokemon move on them that you can instantly teach to one of your Pokemon that's compatible. Just pop it in at a Pokemon Center Computer and place a Pokeball in the slot and after loading, it knows it. But be warned, you can only use these once."

This guy is still very long winded. Personally I think he's just excited at having a female in this Testosterone stew and wants to keep me and my Estrogen around as long as possible. Or maybe I'm just really full of myself right now.

"You did this for the free shoes, right?" No sense lying. I nod. "Well…. You appear to be a very gifted as a Pokemon Trainer. So let me make a suggestion. Go to the Gym in Cerulean and test your abilities."

That is actually an interesting idea. I'm going to get caught eventually, but seeing how far I can get before I do….. I just want to stay with my Pokemon as long as possible. These two days with them have been the best days I've had in years. And these badge things can be the milestones to mark my success. Who knows, I might even be able to challenge the League. Now that would be amazing. An Invalid challenging the League.

But first to get those shoes.

I grab a bite to eat on my way back to the Pokemon Center. I also stop by the Pokemart and but a few bottles of water and some food, so I won't have to stop in the morning. I long for the items behind the locked behind the counter, but I'm not getting turned in for them. It's not amazingly late, but I get a room and turn in for the night. I'm still a little restless when I get in bed, and it occurs to me that I might need to buy a tent or sleeping bag because Pokecenters won't always be around when I need sleep. Minutes turn into hours and my mind is filled with loose, happy thoughts. I can hear my Pokemon snoring softly. I let myself indulge the fact I can say and think my Pokemon without being sad. I glance up at Wedge, who's fluffed up on the headboard, asleep.

He sure looks different from-

My thoughts have taken a turn for the worse, and the feel- good in me sours. I squeeze my eyes shut tight and empty my mind the best I can. Dreamless sleep falls over me.

It's early when I get up, five or so, so I actually bath today. I don't have a change of clothes, but a small washer and dryer are in my room, and I make the most if them while I get ready. I'm fresh and clean now, so we leave. The city is just waking up, so few people are out. The walk out of town is quiet, and Wedge and Basil nap in their balls as me and Charcoal walk. He's still pleased from his battle yesterday. A sign is at the edge of town. It warns that people have been stealing fossils from Mt. Moon. I remember the shoes, which I stashed in my bag. I take them out. They look about the same as the one's I have on now. I slip them on and can feel a difference, though. They fit much better. I take off running down the path. These things are great.

Trainers are lined up all down the path to the next city. One of them recognizes me, and spreads the word that the hero from the forest is here. Everyone wants to challenge me, now. I let Wedge and Basil have at them, since Charcoal worked so hard yesterday. Wedge learns a neat trick. If he flies in the air and then drops down really fast, he can slam into the other Pokemon. It's like a Tackle, only faster. We call it Quick Attack. After one battle, Wedge is pooped, so I have to use one of my Potions on him. Three left now. One boy goes on and on about shorts. He annoys me. Basil kicks major booty as well, and I find a few Berries.

A patch of grass lingers up ahead, and since this is a new Route I'm ready for a new Pokemon. Me and Basil wait patiently for one to come out, and we are rewarded with a spiky, dark purple dog- thing. Basil weakens it, and I throw a ball. It escapes. I only have one ball left, so let it go and keep going. I find a Pokemon center next to a cave. I go in to heal my Pokemon. Some dude comes up to me and promises me riches if I buy a red fish. I'm not that stupid, but feels sorry for it and pay the outrageous price for it. it's a girl, and I name her Glori. All she can do is flop around, so I box her. Something tells me she has potential to be strong, and it I ever get the chance I'll train her. I take a short rest, then go investigate that cave entrance. This must be Mt. Moon, and I don't see anyway of getting around it. The cave mouth stares back at me and I feel like I'm about to enter something bad. I go in anyway.

It's really dark in here, but it has enough natural light that I can see. A weird bat attacks me. I want to catch it, but Basil does a little to much and I lose my chance. Items are all over the place in here, so I pick them up as I go. I'm pleased as punch. Many Trainers are in here as well, hunting for fossils. A lot of them want to battle. I don't wanna fight, but have to. A lot of them talk about the supposed thieves in the cave. I haven't seen anything so far, but there are so many ups and downs to this place it would be easy to hide. Charcoal learns that by breathing out, he can spit out black smoke. A sign for something more, but he makes the most of it and calls it Smokescreen. I guess it could be useful for something. Maybe.

I find a hole with a rickety ladder on it. Its at a dead end, and I didn't see any other bends or pathways on the way here. I chance it and go down. I walk for a long time and don't see any other people. A lot of strange, pink Pokemon try and attack me, but they're fairly weak, so I ignore them. The deeper I go, the more that appear. I can hear chanting up ahead, and I think it's Pokemon. My theory is confirmed when I find a line of those pink things. At one end of the line, a few of them are picking up rocks and looking them over. I watch this for a while, and note that occasionally one sends a rock down the line. When it does, the others take turns hitting it until it cracks open. A small, bluish gem falls out, and one of them puts it in a pile.

I can see the exit close by, and their no way around so I have to go through these Pokemon. I nerve myself up and go forward. The immediately notice when I get close, and a few jump up and hiss at me. One of them yells at the attacking ones, and they calm down. They look at me crossly, then all huddle up in a circle.

"Um…. Charcoal….. What are they saying?" Our voices are hushed.

"Since we didn't fight any of them earlier, they don't think they should run us out. They're discussing what to do right now."

"Clefa- Fairy!" One of them goes over to the rock pile and examines some of the rocks, It picks one up, then goes and retrieves two of the blue gems. It comes over to me and leaves them at my feet, then motions for us to follow. I pick the items up and follow. I trust Charcoal can protect me. It leads me over to the exit and stands beside it. It nods it head to me as I go out, then runs back to it's friends. That was very odd.

But I'm happy to be outside. It's getting dark, but I'm still in wilderness. I can see the lights of the town nearby. I look at the rock they gave me. It's dome shaped, and when I turn it over I can see markings on it. A fossil. They're not being stolen, they're being destroyed for blue gems. Come to think of it….

"Charcoal, did you catch why they game me these?"

"Compensation. You take them, then don't come back.

"Oh."

* * *

Pokemon Obtained: 5

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Glori the Magikarp;; Level 5;; Female;; Hardy

Party:

Charcoal the Charmander;; Level 20;; Male;; Brave

Wedge the Pidgey;; Level 17;; Male;; Naïve

Basil the Beedrill;; Level 16;; Male;; Modest

Lost:

None

Item List:

3 Potions; Antidote; Paralyze Heal; TM 39; TM 09: Star Piece: Rare Candy; Escape Rope; Oran Berry; Persim Berry; Ether; TM 46; 2 Moon Stones; Dome Fossil


	5. Lightning

Please don't hate me, guys! It's not my fault I haven't been uploading; everytime I tried to, it would give me adn Error Message. It mades me SAD. Anyways... Here are FOUR WHOLE CHAPTERS. A.K.A. The Ones I finished while I couldn't share them with you. The next should be up in a few days- I wanna wait some, so these can be digested properly. =)

* * *

Just outside of the cave is a man. He's dressed in a karate outfit and punching a rock face. I try to pass by unnoticed, but as luck would have it…

"You there!" He points to me. I sigh and turn to him. "Your Charmeleon looks very tough….. Let me teach him the ultimate punching technique!" This pips Charcoal's interest, and he's over by the man before I can stop him. I really want to hurry and get to town before it gets much darker, but I won't leave Charcoal alone. I sit down and pick at the items in my pack, sorting things out and taking inventory. A purple snake slides over to me. Before I can yell to Charcoal, Wedge pops out of his ball.

"I got this, Boss!" He swipes it with is Scratch and hits it with his Gust. It's no match for him and slinks away in a hurry. "I'm the best!" He starts glowing like Charcoal did in Pewter Gym. He gets bigger. His tail feathers are longer and are red and cream now. Long red feathers are on his head. He chirps, tries to land on my shoulder, and then notices his new girth. He whistles out a tune and I call him back to his Pokeball. By the time this is all over, Charcoal comes back over.

"That was really awesome! I'm never using Scratch again!" I smile as best I can and get up. A short walk and a few jumps later, we're at the Cerulean Pokemon Center. I give my Pokemon to the clerk, and sit down. Everyone inside seems to be going on about some Bill fellow who lives nearby. I'm curious as to what it's about, and it's not late enough to go to bed. I don't want to hang out here for the next few hours, so I go exploring. Not much in this town. Really it's just the Gym. A big bridge is up north, and I'm curious as to what is on the other side.

Color me surprised when I see Leto tossing rocks into the water.

"Hi." He seems generally surprised to see me. Or maybe it's the fact that I spoke.

"Hello, Tae." He smiles at me. I feel warm and fuzzy inside. "Have you met Bill yet? He's a pretty good guy. He has a lot of rare Pokemon and I learned a lot when I visited him." He tilts his head back and looks at the sky. A few stars are shining in the sky. We are quiet for a long time.

"You know, I didn't expect you to be following so close behind me, Tae; I've really underestimated you. You're always so quiet and shy….. I didn't expect you to have so much spirit." I'm not sure how to take that. I hope it's a compliment. "I mean….. can we have another battle? I really want to see if I've improved, and you're the only person I know strong enough to test me." I don't want to fight, but I can't say no. I nod. He sends out Wings. I send out Wedge.

Wings has gotten bigger since I last saw her. She's evolved just like Wedge has. "Sup, bitch!" She calls out with a smirk. Wedge doesn't answer. He just whips up a Gust. The bird Pokemon duke it out for several minutes, neither of them willing to fall. A Quick Attack finally ends it. Wedge is tired now, but he stands victorious over Wings. One of those purple mice is sent out next. Wedge is confident he can beat it, so I let him at it. It lands one hit, but one good Gust and its is gone.

Shells is out now. Wedge is much to tired to fight, even though he says he is. I send in Basil. Shells Withdraws himself into his shell, but Basil uses Focus Energy, so it was pointless. His next attack is Poison Sting. It hit's a vital spot and poisons Shells, which is great for me. Shells Tackles Basil, but that doesn't do much. Basil uses Fury Attack. He hits four times and three of those are critical. Shells is done for. The next Pokemon is sleeping. It doesn't do anything, so it's easy for Basil to take it down. Chock up another victory for me.

Leto looks disappointed. I can't say I blame him.

"How are you so strong? It seems like when I fight you I don't even put a dent in your armor. How?" I don't know how to respond to this, so I don't say anything. "I… never mind. Here, Tae, I have a gift for you. It's called a Fame Checker. A chatty gossip like you…. That things perfect." I snort at this; he's being a smart ass.

"I'm going back to the Pokecenter. It's not that late yet, so I really recommend you go meet Bill. His house isn't that far away. Just cross this bridge and make a left. Bye, Tae."

I think he's upset. It's hard to tell, so I hope not. If it makes him feel better, I think I might go visit this Bill person.

I start up the bridge. A group of people stand half- way across it. As I approach, I try to slide by unnoticed. No such luck. "You!" The one who yells is a boy, and instantly all eyes are on me. "You've come to face the nugget bridge, have you? You think you can beat us, do you? Five Trainers in a row…. You're mad! We accept your challenge!" A nasty retort sits on my tongue. This is not what I want, but I send out Wedge anyway. He's refreshed now and should be able to handle this.

He's weak, with a nothing but a few bugs. I move on. A girl. She spouts off about it being serious now, but it's a swift defeat. Wedge is far from tired, but I decide to let Basil have a few battles. A boy, a girl, and another boy fall under him. I get to the end of the bridge, no worse for wear but slightly annoyed; I really hate having to interact with all of these people, much less battle them. A boy meets me there. He looks in his mid- twenties and attractive, but a bit to old for me.

"Hello!" I mentally kick myself for coming this way, but turn towards him. He closes the short distance between us. A shining rock is in his hand and I think it's….. fwop. He plops it in my hand. A chunk of pure gold. It feels heavy and warm. This could sell for a nice chunk of money. Why did he just give this to me? I look up at him, and the confusion must show, because he smiles and explains. "You just passed the Nugget Bridge Challenge. Battle five Trainers in a row and win, and you get a Nugget!" I put the Nugget in my pack and nod a little 'thanks'. At least I won't have to batt- "Um… well….. I was wondering… I saw you battle, and I must say your style is impressive… may I challenge you?" Thought to soon. A snake and a bat is all he has to offer. Basil takes them down quickly after a Focus Energy and a few Fury Attacks.

I move on, and when I get see the next area I want to cry. Trainers everywhere, and they all want to fight the Bridge girl. I hope this is the last time people want to fight me because I did something special. We fight and fight and fight and fight. Basil learns that he has special poison glands in his stingers, and can deliver a mighty blow of venom by stabbing his opposition. We call it Twineedle. That helps, but by the time we get to the house I am tired and frazzled. A long shower and a nice bed sounds good, so I am eager to get back to the center.

The lights are on inside the house. I knock on the door. No answer. Instead, it creaks open at my touch. I don't call out. I really should, to see if anyone is here, but don't. I walk inside and look around. Test tubes and beakers and ominous machines are scattered about amidst a sea of loose papers. I pick one up as I pass a table, but it's covered in numbers and I can't make heads or tails of it. I jump when I hear glass shatter in farther in. Leaving would be good, but curiosity gets the better of me. I creep through a hallway, and come to a door. It's cracked open, and I can see shadows dancing on the wall behind it. I venture farther in.

I'm not sure what I'm staring at. It's is shaped and resembles a human, but is covered in a fine pink down. Ears stick out of it's head at mismatched angles, and a few scraps of tattered clothes cling to it's frame. I stare at it, and it stares at me.

"HEELOOP MEEEE…BOOOOOOTUN." It's voice is garbled and barbaric. It points with a ghastly finger at a computer that is sitting on a table. I think its asked for help. It turns it's back and lumbers into a large machine. I hadn't noticed it, I was so shocked by the creature. I want to run away, but it asked for help and I'm obliged to give. I slip over to the computer. A box it up that asks I initiate some sequence. I drag the cursor over the 'Yes' box and click. The machine lights up, and the sound of static fills the room. The machine beeps and bloops and makes such noise that I think it's about to explode. And then it just stops.

The door slides open, and a boy stumbles out of the machine. He is breathing heavy, but he staggers over to me and takes my hand. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He kisses my hand between breaths, and after he is done I pull it away and wipe it on my shirt. I try to back away, but he grabs me and hugs me, burying his head in my shoulder. I feel wet and feel him shaking. Is he crying? I now hear sobbing. Question answered: Yes, he is. I awkwardly pat him on the back. I wasn't prepared for this situation. I expected to see some rare Pokemon and get a few pointers; If someone I would be seeing a revolting monstrosity and calming a crying man, I would have laughed. Out loud.

At last he gives a bit sniffle and pulls himself off of me. I get a good look at him, and he smiles the best he can with puffy, red eyes and snot dripping down his lip. I'll need to wash my clothes later. "Thank you!" His voice cracks and he picks up a paper off of the floor. After a quick look, he blows his nose on it and throws it back in the floor. "Y-you're an angel! I…. I….." He tears up again, but takes a few deep breaths and calms himself. "I'm Bill, it's very, very nice to meet you."

He explains to me that along with being a Pokemon Collector, he also dabbles in science. That machine was supposed to be a Teleporter. He tried it only hours before I arrived, but his pet Clefairy stepped into it just as the door closed. The result was the beast I saw. ShaSha was lost to space. The nest thing I know, he is making me take some ticket for a fancy cruise ship. His uncle is the boat captain, so he got it for free, but he thinks I deserve it more than he does. He also shows me a bunch of fox- like Pokemon and promises that if I ever need anything, just tell him and he would try his best to help me. I go on my way.

When I get back to town, it's late. Much to late to challenge the Gym, but the call of night is to strong. I wander around, just thinking and looking at the sky. I find myself outside of town. One lone house sits out here, and a small sign that advertises a Day- Care service points to it. It would be nice to leave a Pokemon here so it can get stronger, so I make my for it. Inside is an elderly man. He looks nice and his house is warm and cozy. He seems surprised by my late visit, but smiles at me and asks if he can be any service. I ask about the care, and he says he has just enough room for one Pokemon. I think about the Pokeballs resting in my hip. Could I leave one of them here? Even if it meant they would be stronger for it? No, I couldn't. I'm about to decline the man, but then I notice a dusty, outdated computer in the corner. It's not as fast as the one's at the Pokecenter, but it gets it's job done. I hand the old man Glori and am on my way.

It would be best to go back to town again, but I can't bring myself to. Maybe it's because Leto is waiting, and I feel I've upset him. A Pidgey flies out of the woodworks, chips at me, and flies away. I hear the single Pokeball in my bag click. I sigh. When I do, I look up at the twinkling stars. A small building catches my eye. I go closer. It's a path. An underground path. I go in. The path is well lit, but everything looks the same and the end is very far away. Every step I take echoes on the stone. Oddly enough, the close walls make me feel safe. No one else is down here, so I let myself relax. I won't be captured, at least not for a few minutes. At least not while I feel this safe. The end comes much to soon, and I rise up into wilderness. The lights of a town promise relief for the night. I can sleep there, and then go back to Cerulean to challenge that Gym leader. No one is out, from what I can see, so I make my way to the town, relieved at no more battles.

A bush rattles, and out slinks a cream colored cat. If tilts it's head and flicks a black ear, then slowly pads up to me. It sniffs my leg then rubs me with it's head. I'm not sure what to do, but it's ribs are showing. I pluck a soft pink berry I found on my way to Bill's out of my pack and offer. It sniffs my hand, then snatches the berry out of my hand. It takes it a few steps away and gobbles down, then comes back and mewls at me. It's so cute. I lean down and gently pick it up. It purrs. I like this little kitty.

I try for town again, and another one of those cats jumps out of the bushes. It hisses and arches it's back. This one isn't as thin and a lot bigger. I reach for Charcoal's ball. The cat I'm holding leaps from my arms and hisses back. They circle each other, then the bigger one strikes. It latches onto the thinner one's throat and Bites down. Blood oozes over the thinner one's pelt and it screeches, trying furiously to get away. I've seen enough. Charcoal is out and tears then off one another. The larger one runs off, spitting, but the thin one lays on the ground, gasping for air. I'm pretty sure this thing isn't a cat, but a Pokemon. I have one balls left in my pack. I use it.

* * *

Pokemon Obtained: 6

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Jasper the Meowth;; Level 12;; Male;; Docile

Party:

Charcoal the Charmeleon;; Level 20;; Male;; Brave

Wedge the Pidgeotto;; Level 18;; Male;; Naïve

Basil the Beedrill;; Level 17;; Male;; Modest

Lost:

None

Item List:

Fame Checker; Nugget; TM 45; Oran Berry; Bluk Berry; S.S. Anne Ticket;


	6. Tough

I find out from the Vermilion City Pokecenter nurse that it's not a kitty, but a Meowth. I name him Jasper. He's really underweight, so last night and this morning I gave him extra portions of food. He's really quiet and likes to sit in the shadows, and he looks over his shoulder a lot. He's really jumpy, too. I think it might have something to do with that Meowth from last night, but I don't pressure him for answers.

Vermilion City is a pretty nice place. It's a sunny little port town with friendly people and a few attractions. A Gym is located here, and from what I can gather it's for Electric types. A Pokemon fan club and that big ship Bill gave me a ticket for is docked here as well. The boat doesn't leave port for a few hours, and even then it's only an overnight voyage that comes back here. Tomorrow is the big two week cruise to Johto. I have time to kill.

The Gym is blocked off by one of those bushes, so I go to the fan club. The building is fairly small and a lot of paintings of different Pokemon are on it. Not all of them are good. I go in and find the interior no different. A few people are milling around, clinging to unhappy Pokemon. The walls are just as gaudy as the outside. I look around and no one -thankfully- takes notice of me. Everyone here is paired up, trying to out- boast one another. One kindly old man sits in the corner, alone. An empty seat is open next to him, and I would rather sit than talk. So I sit. He peers at me curiously from under his hat. I pretend not to notice. Now that I'm up close I can see that his clothes must be very expensive.

"Would you, young lady, like to hear about my Rapidash?" It takes me a moment to realize he's talking to me. I nod stupidly. "Well…. He's so cute…. Lovely… Smart….. Plus… Amazing….." He drones on for a long time. I drift in and out long enough to catch a word or so, and either nod 'yes' or sha[b][/b]ke my head depending on how his tone sounds. The minutes tick by like an eternity, but this time gives me a chance to think. Is what I'm doing really smart? The longer I stay gone the longer I will have to stay in prison. It's only been a few days, so if I go back now I could beg for forgiveness and maybe slide by with a house arrest and fine. But if I did all of that, my Pokemon would be sad and angry with me. It's not fair that I'm dragging them along for the ride; I should be straight with them.

"You know young lady, you are the first person to listen through my rant and not try and top it with one of your own. I like you; take this. It's a Bike Voucher. I won't use it, since my Rapidash will take me everywhere I need to go." He's about to go off on another rant. I take the voucher, then say my 'thank you's and 'goodbye's. As I escape the building, I sneak a glance at the clock. That old windbag talked for an hour.

I check back at the dock, but it's still going to be a while before they leave. I go to the east of town. It's riddled with Trainers, but for once I don't mind; More battles means less time I can kill. It's no problem for any of my Pokemon either. Well, Jasper might have some trouble, but I'm going to train him soon enough. I let him out of his ball, though, so he can watch. Right away he starts to find little berries and gives them to me. I find some items of my own as well. One of them I an ecstatic about when I find it: A Great Ball. Since I'm out, it will come in handy. I want to put it to good use right away, but Wedge frightens off the bird Pokemon I find in this Route.

I keep heading west. At the end of this Route, a checkpoint is set up. I pass on through, but can't get any farther. A big, fat Pokemon is asleep in the middle of the path. It's on an old wooden pier, so I don't understand why it's not crashed into the waters. I turn and head back inside, hoping to get back to town.

Shit.

I duck upstairs as fast as I can. It's one of Oak's lackeys. I don't think he saw me. He had a picture of me and was showing it to the guards. I watch from the shadows as they point to the way I just came from. He nods, then turns and darts out the door. I wait until I know he's clear of the door, and I run. I run back to town. The guards try and stop me as I leave, but I ignore them and go on. I don't stop running until I get back to the boat dock. I see people getting on, so I flash my ticket and get on. A nice man shows me to my room. I lay down on my fancy bed, relax my strained muscles, and cry until I fall asleep.

I feel a little woozy when I get up. A round window is nearby, so I get up and walk over to it. I almost fall over; The ground feels like it's swaying underneath me. When I finally stagger to the window I see why: the ship's set sail. It must be a little after noon now, so it might be a good time to go exploring. After practicing walking to get my sea-legs, I'm brave enough to exit my room. I'm in a cabin area with lots of rooms. It's like a maze here, so it takes a few minutes to find my way out, but when I do I'm rewarded with a crowded area full of people. All of them are laughing and smiling and dresses much nicer than I am. It makes me feel a little self- conscious. I stick to the wall for the most part. A few game booths are set up but only one catches my eye. It's free to play, and the reward for winning is items. Sweet, glorious items.

I go closer for a better look, and grimace at what I see. It's a Battle Royal thing. You enter, and if you win you get all the prizes. Your Pokemon are healed after each match, but still. Could I win this? I pick up a form. I fill it out and turn it in before I think myself out of it. Now I can fret, even if it's to late. A lot of these people look really fancy and famous. I'm sure they have a lot of really strong Pokemon. I've battled a lot, but can I really beat them.

My name is called. Time to find out. A ring has been set up in the middle of the floor. An elderly gentleman waits for me. When I step on stage, I catch his sneer at how 'poor' I look. I know that's how he sees it, because I hear it from a few people in the crowd. The match is called and the man sends out a red dog, I send out Wedge. The two stare each other down. I have Wedge use Gust. Since theirs no debris on the floor, his attack doesn't do as much as it normally would. It uses an Ember attack. The fire scorches Wedges's tail feathers, but he uses another Gust. The dog Roars. Wedge cries out and flies behind me, cowering. I want to reach for Charcoal, but Jasper pops out of his ball. He hisses at the dog, then runs up and Bites it. The dog whimpers in pain. The elderly gentleman forfeits. This might not be as hard as I thought it would be.

I quickly rise through the bracket. These battles aren't hard at all. I'm sure that if these snooty people battled like real Trainers I would be in trouble, but as soon as their Pokemon get a little bit hurt or tired they call the match. The people's opinions of me have changed. The first few battles people judged me to be weak because I don't have as much money, but now a lot of them pester me after my fights for training tips and the like. I don't have any to offer, so I just tell them I trust in my Pokemon. And I do. The final match has been put on hold until tomorrow morning. I wander around the ship and play a few games, then retire to my room and order dinner. They bring me and my gang way to much food, but that doesn't stop us from eating it all.

"That was some good grub!" Charcoal belches and a small wisp of flame slips from between his teeth. Wedge and Basil laugh heartily at this, then the three have a competition to see who can burp the loudest. Jasper is sitting quietly behind my leg, partially under the bed. I watch him, and he's watching them have fun.

"Why not join them?" His round eyes slide up to me. He flicks his ears, but doesn't answer. I frown, then pick him up and scratch his ears. He relaxes and begins to purr softly. We sit like this for a long time; long enough for the others to calm down and run out of gas.

"I'm worried." I look down at Jasper. His eyes are full of worry. More worry than his skinny little body needs to feel. I don't question him, but I don't need to. "Before I met you, I was part of a pride of Meowth. I was supposed to be mated with the pride leaders daughter, but I didn't want to, so I ran away. The leader was furious, so he followed me and vowed to kill me. When I met you, that was the Meowth who attacked me. Since you ran him off and am taking care of me….. I'm afraid he might try and hurt you guys." He curled up into as tight a ball he could, hiding his face. I couldn't think of any words of encouragement, so I just pet him and hoped tomorrow would be a better day for him.

We wake up early, but it will still be a while before our fight. Now would be a good time to train Jasper some. He's very reluctant, but agrees. He's not very good, but with the others helping him he picks up fast. He's not as strong as the others, and he's more apt to get hurt, but his speed is unrivaled. Even though he is weak and underfed, he's a blur compared to Charcoal, Wedge, and Basil. As fast as he is, though, his attacks are poor. He can Scratch, Bite, and use a move we call Pay Day. It involves him pulling the coin off of his head and flinging it. A new coin pops into place and it's free money, but it's not very strong. While they train, I pull out that yellow case Brock gave me. It's got a lot of disks in it. I pull out two I like, then call Jasper over.

"Yes, Tae?" He's tired and his fur is ruffled, but his eyes are brimming with energy. I smile down at him and call him back into his ball. A computer is set up in the corner of the room. It's a little dusty from disuse, but it has the same features those found in Pokecenters do. I boot it up and place Jasper's ball a small platform that sticks out, then insert the first disk. Jasper's ball glows pink and a download bar pops up. It fills to 100% and the disk drive ejects itself. The disk is scarred and looks burnt; I guess they were telling the truth about these being one- use. Charcoal and the others wander over to see what I'm doing. They peak over my shoulder as I place the second disk in.

"What are you doing, Boss?" Wedge twists his head. I just pat him and say it's a surprise. The bar fills up again and I shut the computer down. I take Jasper's ball. The others surround me, eager to see what magic I've just worked. I let Jasper out. He looks around, confused, then shakes his head and sits down.

"Are you alright?" Basil gently prods him, careful not to sting. Jasper stands back up, then stretches and yawns.

"I'm fine. My head feels a little funny, though…." I giggle when the four look up at me, confused.

"Like I said, it's a surprise. Now, I think we're ready for the final match. Let's go have breakfast then play some games until it starts."

We gorge ourselves -again- and manage to lose three thousand dollars playing games. It's a good thing every time I battle I get money, or else I would be broke. We have so much fun that the match sneaks up on us. When my name is called, I rush up to the stage. I'm ready to battle whatever snooty person who made it this far. I'm not sure I'm ready to battle who I see.

Leto. He looks just as shocked as I must.

"Tae! Imagine seeing you here!" He smiles. It's friendly, but I can see determination in him. He's not ready to lose again, not so soon. He sends out Wings. I should probably send out Wedge, but I want to test my new teammate out. I send in Jasper. He hisses at the bird Pokemon. The announcer officially starts the fight.

"Secret Power!" Jasper looks confused for a moment, then charges into Wings. She smacks him across the face with Scratch, but after another Secret Power she's done for. The next is a huge brown rat. Leto calls him Tails, but one Secret Power from Jasper and he's no more. I think the next one is the evolution of that sleepy cat thing from a few days ago. It's standing up now, and it's found a spoon and grown a mustache. Jasper uses Secret Power once again, and almost knocks it out. Almost. It's eyes start to glow, and Jasper screeches out in pain. A little dribble of blood seeps out of his mouth and from his nose. He grits his teeth and runs at the other Pokemon. He launches himself at it and chomps down on it, using Bite. The thing yells out in pain, then falls, Jasper still clinging to it. Leto calls it back into it's Pokeball. Jasper falls on is side. He's still bleeding, and his eyes are closed. I only know he's still alive because of his rapid breaths. I call him back.

"I'm really proud of you, Magi." He pulls out his last Pokeball. I know what this one is. It's Shells. He sends the turtle out, but I see it's evolved since I last saw it. It's a darker blue now, and it's tail and ears are long and fluffy. It's sort of cute. He smiles a big smile, ready for a fight. I send in Basil. Basil starts off with a Focus Energy. It takes a second to work, and Shells uses this time to launch a Water Gun. Basil takes the attack, but quickly returns it with a Twineedle. The second hit leaves a purple wound on Shell's arm. He Withdraws into his shell, but it's too late. The poison has taken effect. His shell wobbles and then goes still. We have won.

I'm about to go over and talk to Leto, but the announcer comes back onto the stage with my prize. A big basket filled to the brim with items. He raises my arm and says I'm victorious, then presents me my winnings. It has a Great Ball and some healing items in it, but it also has TMs, some berries, and some money. The big big prize in it is an HM. It's for Cut, which is a special move for chopping down those poisonous shrubs. Apparently it's rare or something. I pack my gifts into my bag, then go and look for Leto. I spend the rest of the cruise trying to find him, but he never shows. At least now I can chop down that tree blocking the lightning gym.

As soon as I depart the boat I go to the Pokecenter. My team is fine, but I want to load the HM. I find an empty computer and sit down, then pop the disk in and place Jasper's ball on the tray. The disk refuses to pull up. Instead a box asking for proof does. I have no idea what that means, so I click the 'what is this?' box in the corner. It says I need the Cerulean Gym badge. Looks like I need to pack up and go back that way. I'm about to leave when a girl comes up to me. She gives me an item, saying it's a free promotion. It's a VS Seeker, which will give other Trainer's I've already fought the single that I want to battle again. I doubt I'll use it much, but I tell her thanks anyway.

I set out for Cerulean City. The path north is filled with Trainers now. I guess it was too late for them the other night. A few battles and a brisk walk later I'm back in Cerulean. I head straight for the Gym. This one is more distinct than the Pewter Gym. The outside is painted blue and it has a lot of fish painted on it. I'm reminded of the outside of The Pokémon Fan Club. I go in. This place isn't as bad on the inside. It's a giant indoor pool. A few people lounge on beach chairs or swim with water Pokemon. Most of them take no notice of me, but the ones who do stare. I ignore them and make my way to the back, where a girl is sitting atop a lifeguard chair.

"Hi! You're a new face!" She hops down from the chair and approaches me. "Are you here to join my Gym?" I don't answer. "No? Well then….. Are you here to challenge me?" I nod. "Well then I, Misty, accept your challenge Trainer! Prepare for an all-out offensive with Water- Pokemon!"

She blows a whistle around her neck and people quickly get out of the pool. She jumps in and swims to the other side. The water rumbles and multiple platforms rise out of the water. Misty stands on one across the pool. I assume that I'm supposed to get on one too, because she hasn't sent out any Pokemon yet. I don't want to get wet, but I find the closest pad and jump on. It wobbles and shakes underneath me, but my experience on the S.S. Anne has proven me well; I can stand.

Misty sends out a brown star Pokemon that has a gem in its middle. It hops into the water and disappears. I'm not sure if any of my Pokemon can swim, so I'm glad that so many floating pads are scattered out in the water. I send out Jasper. He might be a cat, but I trust he's quick enough to jump from float to float without much effort. Misty calls out an attack, and the star weaves to and fro in the water, a dark streak in the blue. I tell Jasper to be ready to jump, and use Secret Power. He tenses. The star flies out of the water, it's gem glowing. Jasper springs, slamming into it with unnatural force. The star falls into the water and doesn't come back up. Jasper lands on a float -just barely- and waits for orders. Misty scoffs at our one attack K.O., and blames it on luck. A stronger Pokemon is on the way, she claims. One that can beat us.

I think it's from the same family as her last Pokemon. It's purple with a gem in the center like the other, but it has more spokes and is bigger. It doesn't hide in the water like the last one did, and instead stands still on a float. I leave Jasper in, and tell him to use a Faint Attack. He slips up on it then begins to scratch and bite it as hard as he can. The purple star's gem glows, then it pouts great rings of water. They sweep Jasper off his feet and slam him into a wall behind me. An imprint of both his body and the water is left when he falls. He lays still and I'm afraid it's his end, but after a tense moment he pulls himself up. He staggers around in circles like he doesn't know what he's doing. I take the opportunity to call him back into his Pokeball and send out Basil. The purple stars hits him with that water attack, and it hits hard, but not as hard as it hit Jasper. His wings lose pull since he's soaked, but he manages to get close enough to hit it with his Twineedle. He rams the stingers in deep, leaving a gaping wound on the topmost spoke and shattering the gem in the center. It falls. I call Basil back.

"Fine! You win! Here's the Cascadebadge to show you beat me!" Misty yells this and it echo's across the water. One of her Gym Trainers brings me a little teardrop- shaped pin since she's still on the other side of the pool. "Hey Massie! Bring them the other thing to! The TM!" A girl brings me a shiny blue disk. I hear a splash at the other end of the pool. A mechanical whirring fills the Gym and the floats sink to the bottom of the pool. Misty is no where in sight, and I presume she's coming over to congratulate me, but I want to hurry up and get out of here, so I leave.

I feel a little ungrateful, but I haven't put that close call from yesterday out of my mind. I highly doubt that lackey thought I was on that cruise ship and since he couldn't go past that checkpoint because of that big Pokemon, he probably came back this way. If he's still here, I need to scat fast. I dash to the Pokemoncenter both to heal my Pokemon and teach Jasper that Cut move. I take care to hide my face, then dash as soon as I'm done. That battle didn't take as long as I thought it would, so I should be able to challenge that Electric Gym as soon as I get back to Vermilion. I have one thing to do before I leave, though. I never saw any Pokemon near that bridge, so going back and scouting around for a minute shouldn't take long. I have balls to use now, so I might even catch something. Sad to say I'm disappointed with what I find. It's a Weedle, so I pass it by and make my way to Vermilion. Before I leave town I catch sight of that Bikeshop. I have a Voucher, so I might as well cash it in. Plus one bicycle for me.

I should make excellent time back to Vermilion with this, so I decide to check in with how Glori's doing. She looks great, but I leave her with the man. I think she's very happy here. I breeze through the underground path, feeling lighthearted. My smile fades as soon as I get to Route six. It's madness. Meowth are everywhere, and the Trainers I battles earlier are either barely keeping them at bay or being ripped to shreds. I release all of my Pokemon, and just in time, too. Five or six of them jumps at me with bloodlust. Charcoal, Wedge, and Basil fight them off valiantly, but Jaspers frozen solid, wide- eyed.

"This is because of me." He dashes off into the fray and I lose sight of him. I call out, but all I hear is the hissing and screeching of Meowth.

"Don't worry, Tae, we'll find him." Basil smacks down another enemy and then motions for the others to follow. They form a protective circle around me and we make our way deeper into the battle. Between being attacked and rescuing the people we find, progress is slow. From the other side of the Route I sometimes see lightning crackle into the sky. I hope the Meowth don't have something to do with it. I have a six refugees and their dead or severely wounded Pokemon in tow when I find out.

"Surge!" One of the younger boys breaks off from the group when we come upon a large man. He looks very formidable with his muscles and camouflage and height. A few men are scattered out around him along with many Pokemon I have never seen. Most are yellow and all of them shoot electricity out. A cluster of bloody and terrified people stand just behind their line of defense. Some of them mourn over lost Pokemon. He notices us at the boys cry and ushers us behind then line. I hang back. I'm not leaving without Jasper. When I don't budge, he grabs my wrist and tries to pull me back. I jerk it out of his grasp and Charcoal snaps at him, which leads to a big brown mouse grabbing him, it's cheeks sparking, and Basil's stinger at it's throat. Surge looks at the stalemate in front of him and then back to me.

"Stand down, Private." The mouse lets go of Charcoal and backs away, it's eyes locked on him, then it jumps back into the madness surrounding us. "Now listen here, girl. I don't know where you came from, but this is a delicate operation and I won't stand for insubordination. Sure, you and your little pets might have gotten through the outskirts of this fight, but you don't know the half of what's going on. Now you stay behind this wall of people or I'll make you, you understand?"

Specks of saliva flt into my face when he talks. I know more about what's going on than he does. I know it has something to do with Jasper and that Pride Meowth. I bet he doesn't know that. I bet that all he's knows is the Meowth are attacking people. I stare him defiantly in the eyes and speak the only word I need to: "Smokescreen." Charcoal opens his mouth and plumes of thick black smoke waft out into Surge's face. I see one shocked expression from him before the smoke is to thick to see. I grab onto Charcoal's claw and Wedge's foot, then instruct Basil to latch onto my back. We run through the black, occasionally happening upon a Pokemon or person, which we shove out of the way. The sounds of battle rise to an almost defending pitch, and when we escape the cloud I know we are in the center of the battle.

I let go of my team and we keep running deeper and deeper. Meowth leap out at all angles, but my boys have formed another circle and whack them away before they can get to me. We don't concentrate on knocking then out as we did earlier, we just keep going. I hear then spitting behind us and I know some have given chase. Finally we come upon a solid ring of Meowth. They stand around something, and they all lash out at whatever it is, but never venture farther in than they already are. Skid to a halt. Wedge and Basil take care of the ones chasing us and Charcoal guards my front. Some from the circle break off and attack him. It's dangerous, but sneak closer too catch a glimpse of what they're all gathered round.

It's Jasper and that Meowth from when I caught him. They're tangled up in a ball of fury, and I can literally see tuffs of hair flying. Jasper's covered in blood, but so is the other one. I'm about to call one of the others over when Jasper knocks the leader off of him. It lands on it's back, and before it can get up, Jasper is pinning it down, his claws at it's throat. One of his claws glows with light, then lengthens and turns razor sharp. I trust that is the Cut move.

"Call them off." He spits into the other's Meowth's face. It hisses something I can't understand, and Jasper puts pressure on his paws, causing a trickle of blood to fall from the leader's neck. "Call them off, or I swear to Mew I will kill you on this spot and claim this tribe as my own. And as law dictates, all of your kin will be exiled from the pride. Call them off, if not for your life then for your kin." The leader is silent. He glares hatefully at Jasper, but then lets out a loud yowl. The immediate violence dissipates, and the remainder of the circle darts off, echoing his cry. Jasper lets the leader up and they stare each other down before it flees into the bushes. Jasper relaxes some and turns to, hopefully, try and find me. As he dashes past, I reach out and snatch him up by the scruff of the neck. He hisses, but before he can attack I hug him against me. He squirms for a moment, then must realize who I am, because I feel him go limp.

"Don't worry me like that again." I stroke his head and feel the tears drip down my cheeks before I realize I'm crying. Charcoal, Wedge and Basil make their ways over to me. They are wounded and tired, but they offer me the best comfort they can provide: their presence.

All the way back to town was eerily quiet. Plants were beaten down, fur was scattered, and puddles of blood were collected in occasional places. Other than that, there were no signs of the battle just five minutes not before. Jasper rested in my arms, a sticky, stinky, bloody mess, and Charcoal marched at my side. I had put Wedge and Basil back into their balls, because during the final standoff they had taken the brunt of the attacks for me. I manage to make my way into the center. Lots of townspeople stopped and stared at our grim procession, but I don't care. The nurse looks up from her desk and almost falls out of her chair. I give her my Pokemon and ask for a room key. I won't be staying the night, but I'm covered in blood and dirt and sweat. As I retreat to my room, I see other nurses scurrying about a lot of people. I recognize a few as the people I saved, but all of them look either as bad as I do or worse, so I leave them be. When I get to my room I tear off my clothes and put them in the washer, then go take a long shower. When I get out I put my clothes in the dryer, then proceed to dry my hair.

I can't but think about what I would have done if I had lost Jasper; or any of my team for that matter. The entire way back and the entire time I've been here I've thought about it. I was so worried when I found Jasper fighting that other Meowth. But it also hurts that he would think he had to do that alone and we couldn't have helped him. I be crushed if I lost any of them, especially if it was because they thought they couldn't trust me.

I hear the dryer ding and get dressed. My clothes look a lot better, but they are nowhere near 'New' condition. They're ripped here and there, and a stain or two has set in. I don't care, though. I leave the room and turn my key in and gather my Pokemon. I check on them all. They all claim to be fine now, and I look them over just in case. I feel bad for asking, but they all say they are more than ready for that fight with that Gym leader. I start to head for the Gym, but I think three big fights is enough for one day, so I head for a local restaurant instead. The food is really good, and I let my guys get whatever they want. I suggest turning in for the day and fighting tomorrow, but Charcoal won't have it. The other's agree with him. I sigh in defeat, pay my tab, and go on.

That plant is still in the way, but Jasper chops it down no problem. We make our way inside. It's filled with trashcans. A few people are drilling Pokemon with commands, and at the far end of the Gym I see a big electric fence. It sparks and crackles with energy. I go a little closer and try to peak between the bars. I see a lot of people back there, but I can't get a clear view.

"Young Lass, are you here to battle our leader?" I turn to find an elderly man. He's well dressed and seems refined, but a large gash is cut from his lip to his forehead, through his eye. I try not to stare. I look at his nice shoes and nod. "Well, our leader is discussing the commotion earlier and wouldn't like to be disturbed, but….. I'm sure that if you tripped his trap, he would have to battle you." I ask him how I can do that, but he just tells me to use my brain. I thank him for the information, but sigh when he's gone. I'm to tired to use my brain right now. I walk over to one of the trashcans and kick it. It topples over and I jump as it crashes to the ground. I didn't mean to kick it that hard, but…..

I notice a button just under the can. I look around, then press it with my shoe. A loud beep sounds behind me, and I turn to see one of the bars has switched off. I push over the cans and hit each button, each of them turning off a separate bar. With that last one, the gate the bars were on swings open. I've made it to the Gym leader. The area behind the gate is large and empty. A few men are crowded round a table at the far end of the room. All of them are beefy and wearing camo. All of then look at me disdain except fro one, and the has his back to me. His fists are on the table and he is trembling. I know him from somewhere.

Oh crap.

"I THOUGHT I ORDERED NO ONE BACK HERE I-" He turns around and stops yelling when he sees me. His anger is quickly replaced by fury. His face turns red and veins throb out of his neck. "You." He spits this, and I remember how he did this on my face earlier. I'm glad I'm farther away. He points and takes a few threatening steps forward. I don't budge. I just look at him. This seems to make him madder. "I ORDER HER REMOVED FROM THIS PREMESISE RIGHT NOW!" Two of the men look at each other, then come towards me.

"We're here to challenge you to a Gym battle." I'm surprised I managed to speak, and at how flat and uninterested I sound. Not something I intended.

"Fine. FINE. I Lt. Surge accept your Gym challenge. Just make sure when you lose you don't get any tears on my nice floor."

His first Pokemon is a giant Pokeball that has eyes. I send out Charcoal. I have Charcoal use that move the karate guy taught him: Mega Punch. It lands, cracking the ball's hard shell. A few sparks fly out. The ball uses something called Shock Wave. Charcoal tries to dodge, but no matter what he does the electricity follows him. It eventually shocks him. He yells in pain and I have him use Ember. When it hits, I can small fried circuits. The ball starts to smoke from the crack. I tell Charcoal to get out of the way and I shield my eyes. It blows up. Pieces of it rain down on me. Surge doesn't seem to care one of his Pokemon just died. He just send out another one. It's a Pikachu. The yellow rat twitches it's ear. I have Charcoal use Mega Punch again. It's out like a light. Charcoal snorts, but then holds his arm. He trembles and looks to be in pain. Surge is grinning, so I can see that he expected this and that the worst is yet to come. How horrible, to sacrifice your Pokemon like that.

He begins to laugh lets another Pokeball fly. Out comes that Pokemon from earlier. It and Charcoal stare each other down for a moment. Charcoal tries another Mega Punch, but whatever that Pikachu did to him is slowing him down. The Pokemon runs around Charcoal at such a speed that it creates doubles. Charcoal steps towards the closest one, but gasps and grabs his arm. The brown mouse moves even faster, making more copies. Charcoal tries another Mega Punch, but only hits a copy. He tries again, and slugs the real thing right in the jaw. It's nose is bloody, but Charcoal can't move in to finish the job. The mouse uses that attack from earlier, and Charcoal takes the full force of it. He collapses to the ground, the ends of his toes, fingers, and tail charred black. I call him back into his Pokeball and send out Basil.

The mouse sneak attacks him with a Quick Attack. He manages to shield himself somewhat with one of his stingers, so It doesn't do as much. He buzzes in close and strikes it with a Twineedle. The mouse cries out, and holds it's now bleeding and limp leg. It falls down, and I can see the poison spreading. Surge calls it back. All is quiet. Basil flits over to me and hovers by my shoulder. Surge grits his teeth and flings a small piece of metal at me. It lands at my feet.

"You've got your Thunderbadge, now get the hell out of my Gym." He turns his back and I pick up the badge. To represent thunder and lightning, I think it looks like a flower. The two men from earlier escort me out. The nice gentlemen is outside the door.

"I take it you won?" I nod. "Good, good….. Here, a gift for you. It's a TM. I would advise going to Lavender Town as soon as possible. After all, you never know who could be sniffing around this town after earlier." He gives me a look I can't read, and then he's off. I'm not sure what he means, but I need to rest my team again before I go anywhere. The Pokemon Center is our next stop.

Pokemon Obtained: 6

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Jasper the Meowth;; Level 12;; Male;; Docile

Party:

Charcoal the Charmeleon;; Level 29;; Male;; Brave

Wedge the Pidgeotto;; Level 25;; Male;; Naïve

Basil the Beedrill;; Level 26;; Male;; Modest

Jasper the Meowth;; Level 25;; Male;; Docile

Lost:

None

Item List:

Bike Voucher; Rawst Berry (Jasper); Awakening; Great Ball; Escape Rope; Pamtre Berry (Jasper); TM 31; Great Ball; Chesto Berry; Cheri Berry; Pecha Berry; Hyper Potion; Super Potion; TM 44; Stardust; X Attack; Oran Berry (Jasper); HM 01; VS Seeker; Bike; TM 03; TM 34;


	7. Tools

I know what the old man means now, but it raises more questions than it answers. As soon as I leave the Pokemon Center, I spot that lackey nearby. He spots me. I run. I can hear him yelling for me to stop and that I'm under arrest, but I keep running. I pass the boat dock, but I'm heading for a dead end. An opening in the rocks catches my eye as I run past. I backtrack and dive into the tunnel. An old man tries to stop me as I pass him, but I keep going. Little Pokemon push themselves up at my feet, but I just hop over then and move on. The tunnel seems like it lasts forever, but at last I see light. I bust out of the cavern still running. I almost crash into one of those plants. I call out Jasper and have him Cut it down, then I pick him up and keep running. I turn to look behind me, and in that instant my foot catches and I trip. It doesn't matter because when I look up, I see that I've hit a dead end. Jasper, who jumped out of my grasp right before I fell, sniffs around my feet.

"This is a chest." He's right. It's a small chest, rusty and half covered in dirt. I push myself up and wipe the dirt from my hands. He starts to dig it out. I lean over and pull it out of the ground. It has a lock on it, but it's so rusty that I just pull it off. The hinges screech when I open it, and Jasper paws at his ears. Inside are two old looking medicines and a dirty disk. It says HM 05 on the side. I pocket the items and put the box down. I'm scared now. If that man saw me go into the cave and follows me, it's over. I'm a trapped rat. I put Jasper back into his ball. I haven't confronted them yet, so I don't want him to see. I wait. The man never shows up. I pull myself together and trek back through the tunnel. I take out that map in my pack and check it as I go. That old man said to go too Lavender Town. Since that one path is blocked, I need to go back up to Cerulean and go East. After going through the mountain I should be North of Lavender Town.

I'm tense all the way back to Cerulean, and don't relax until I get to the entrance to the tunnel. A Pokecenter is just outside, so I stop and rest. A lot of people on that Route wanted to battle, and I had to oblige. Wedge learned that by he could strike a powerful blow with his wings while flying. He calls it Wing Attack. I passed through Routes nine and ten. Both were fruitless for Pokemon. The sun is starting to get low in the sky, and I've had enough excitement for one day, but I need to start that tunnel.

Its really dark in the tunnel. Visibility is so low that even having Charcoal guide me doesn't help. The light draws a lot of wild Pokemon, and sadly the first escapes me. A few Trainers linger about in the caves. All is quiet. The darkness is so suffocating that I'm afraid to make much noise. The path is long and difficult, but we manage to escape the clutches of the tunnel haggard but well. I'm almost completely drained of healing items now. I'll never step foot into that place again.

Its dark now, and probably has been for a while; caves have a sense of timelessness, so it's easy for minutes to become hours. I stumble through the darkness, Basil at my side. I turn a corner around a rock face, and the faint lights of a town shine just ahead. I hear screaming coming from my right. I look, and can see a path that leads that way, and another corner. I can't just leave. I go closer, and the yelling becomes distinct. Boys, and they all scream profanities mixed with insult. I peak around the corner. Four boys circle another. He is on the ground, curled into a ball, and bloody and bruised. The other four kick and beat him. The victim blubbers and tries to protect his head from the blows. It's not working. One boy, who must be the ringleader, leans down and spits in his face, then grabs him by the chin, holding it up.

"You're one sick motherfucker if you think you can just murder that Marowak and get away with it. Training privileges taken from you? Shit, that's not enough for a bastard like you. We'll make you feel the pain that baby Cubone feels. Boys." Victim shakes his head and mumbles something about not meaning it. The beating stops, but one boy grabs Victim's arms and another his legs. One starts to unfasten his pants, and so does Ringleader unfastens his. I see red. Somebody screams. I think it is me.

The next thing I know I feel impact and I am on top of Ringleader. I am punching him in the face. Blood is on my hand, wet and hot. His face is broken and bleeding. He looks shocked. Someone pulls me off of him. It is one of the boys. His hands is drawn back to punch me, but his face contorts to pain and he falls down. The back of his shirt is ripped and bloody. Basil floats there, one stinger dripping. The other two boys freak out. One helps Ringleader up and the other the one who was stung. While they flee, I turn to Victim. He is bruised and crying and cowering. He has gotten up and is buttoning his pants back up. Those boys attack him were older than me. He is younger, maybe twelve.

"Tae…." Basil buzzes over to him. He flinches when Basil warps his arm around him to help stabilize his shaky steps. I wipe the blood on my hand on the grass, then walk over and wrap my arm around his other shoulder. A few steps at a time, we make it back to time and I find out his story. He is like me, only his mother wasn't in with Oak like mine is. He's always dreamed of owning his own Pokemon like his dad, who is a famous Trainer. One day he went out into the woods and fashioned a small trap for one. It worked a little to well. A new mother Marowak got caught in it and choked to death on a loose string. He went back the next day to find mommy corpse and her baby, crying out under it. He had no choice but to fess up, which means he could never be a Trainer. That's not the worst part, though. They buried it in the Pokemon Tower, which is a giant graveyard, but mommy refuse to stay gone. Her restless spirit caused discord inside, which made the special seals the Channlers had placed to break. They all become possessed by evil spirits. A local, and famous, man named Mr. Fuji is trapped at the top of the tower, guarded by possessed Channler, ghosts, and Mommy. No one can get him out.

We make a pit stop by the Pokemon Center, then head straight to his house.

"Erik! What happened to you? And who is this girl?" I pull him inside and his mom grabs him and begins to tend too him. She brings me a glass of water and bandages him up. After he's cleaned up, she sends him to his room and corners me. The questions start. My name is Tae. Yes, I am a Trainer. No, he wasn't like that when I found him, but I did rescue him. Finally comes the big question. "What happened?"

"hen I found him, some older boys were beating him. Then they tried to rape him." There it is. The big R word. Erik's mom starts to cry. I want to console her, but I don't know how. I give her the best descriptions of them as I can, but the naming would be up to Erik. She thanks me many times over and hugs me and starts to cry harder. I don't want to stay in this town tonight, but I want to help Erik any way I can. I think helping that trapped man would help, but I don't know how. Pokemon I know something about and isolation I know more, but ghosts and the arcane is beyond me. I leave the house. I leave the town, going west. The path is quiet. Not a cricket or Pokemon peeps. Something tells me this is bad. I am right. It's those boy's again, and they've brought friends.

"Hey, bitch. I'm going to make you pay for busting up my nose and poisoning my buddy." Him and his friends all send out Pokemon. I send out mine. It's mostly a free- for- all, but Ringleader and his friend's Pokemon are weak. They drop like flies. A few minutes later and Jasper takes care of the last one. "Enough of this!" Ringleader pulls out a Pokeball and tosses it. A big, stinking, floating, purple ball. It's covered in craters, and occasionally gas spews out of one. It opens it's mouth and black smoke rolls out, enveloping the area. I hear laughing, then feet pounding. Charcoal, Wedge and Basil surround me. Jasper charges deeper into the smoke. I hear him hissing and spitting and that think yelling. He's fighting it.

Hands claw through the smoke from all sides. My three boys deflect and defend me, but they spread out, and eventually I lose sight of them in the smoke. I take a few steps towards the last place I seen Wedge, hear Basil behind me and turn again. I'm confused now and I still can't find any of them. One arm roughly circles me, pinning my arms to my body. I struggle and start to scream, but something cold and sharp is pressed to my throat, so I clam up.

"Hey there, bitch. You know, it really pissed me off that I couldn't hurt that little fuck like he hurt that Pokemon….. So I'm going to take it out on you instead." His hand slides up my thigh and under my skirt. I whimper and feel tears on my cheeks. I hear a roar and I'm on the ground, but the knife is away from my throat and Ringleader's weight is not on me. I pull myself up and turn around. The smoke is starting to clear, and a huge white panther is tearing at him. It rips it's talons across his chest, leaving great gashes, and bites at his legs. He screams out in pain, but the beast doesn't stop until he is a bloody mess. He's still alive and conscious. The panther puts one giant paw on his throat, then speaks.

"You were trying to violate my Trainer. I should kill you on the spot, but I think you would be better being violated yourself while you rot in some hole. In other words….. Good luck in prison, bitch." It slices across his face, then saunters over to me and sits at my feet. The smoke is gone now. All of Ringleader's friends just saw this Pokemon main him. They all scatter in different directions, leaving him behind. Charcoal, Wedge and Basil rush over to me, putting themselves between me and the panther. I look around, but no sign of Jasper. The weird purple balloon lays a little bit a away, deflated, but no Jasper. I look the panther in the eyes.

"Jasper?" The panther's ears flick up, then he starts to purr. It is Jasper. He must have evolved.

"This is the police! I thought I heard a commotion an- Holy shit!" A Jenny runs up. She skirts around Ringleader and heads straight to me. Two red puppy Pokemon follow beside her, and they growl at me. I explain what happened before she arrests me. She's from the next town. One of those tunnels are close by, but it's not as innocent as the first. This one used to be full of drug- peddlers and criminals, so police were stationed to be their at all times. She heard a disturbance and came to investigate. I tell her about Erik also. She calls in backup, then offers to escort me to the next town. Ringleader is going to prison for a long time.

A good nights sleep and good washing do me great. It's past one before we leave the Celedon Pokemon Center. Celadon is one of those places that was once a nice place, but sleaze and scum ruined it. This was where my mom and dad honeymooned when they got married. I know, because before the arguing and fighting and divorce, mom would sometimes tell me about how nice and romantic it was before I went to bed. Then dad would tease me saying that that's where me and Leto would go when we got married. I always threw a plush doll at him and acted mad, but I would fell very pleased he had said that after the light was turned off and the door closed.

I wander around for a bit, since I'm not sure what to do. I go into a restaurant, and some man comes up to me. He looks tired, maybe a little hung-over, and depressed. He slurs something about 'losing it all' then shoves a case in my hand. A waitress explains it's for the local casino, and that that man lost his entire life's savings last night. I nod, finish eating, pay my tab, and leave. I've found something to do.

I end up winning a lot on the slots. Some people were nice enough to give me a few coins, and I've used those to dominate the slots. I didn't know I was so good at pressing buttons and pulling levers. Next door is the prize exchange place, so I go there. Three men stand behind a counter, wares on display. The one on the left offers items that can improve a Pokemon's strength, and the one on the right offers rare TMs. The one in the middle offers Pokemon. I walk up to the counter and peer through the glass. Pictures of Pokemon with coin exchange numbers sit behind small stacks of Pokeballs. One catches my eye. It looks like a blue snake. I give the man my coins and take one. He says it called a Dratini and they're very rare Dragon type Pokemon. I take one then go to the next counter. No need of for any of those TMs right now, but a fine Item called a Charcoal will do just fine. If Charcoal eats it (Hehe….. Charcoal eating Charcoal) his fire moves will get stronger. I take one, but I'm all out of coins so I go back to the casino. I go back to buy some, and a man standing in front of a poster catches my eye. He notices me, then waves me over.

"Hello, little lass! Are you here for the Sliph Scope Challenge?" I don't know what that is. He chuckles at my confusion and explains. "The casino is having a promotion. A rare and expensive Sliph Scope is in the basement somewhere. If you manage to beat all the other Trainer's down there and the person guarding it, it's your to keep along with anything else you might find! Care to enter?" Items…. Just what I need and what I'm low on. I can't refuse. He smiles again. "Well, then…. Before you can go on, you have to beat the qualification Trainer…. AKA…. Me!" He roars with laughter and sends out his Pokemon. A brown rat and a bat. Charcoal destroys them.

The man chuckles again, then turns and presses a coin on the poster behind him. It clicks, and the floor just to my right collapses into the floor, making stairs. He ushers me towards them. They look old and a little worn, but sturdy enough to support me. I descend them, only to find myself in a large room. Most of it looks gutted out; you can see imprints on the wall where machines or desks or something used to be. It looks bare and empty, and fills me with a sense of dread. I take a few steps and the stairs snap shut behind me. I am trapped.

With no where else to go, I may as well look around. A set of stairs going down is nearby. A elevator is blocked off by a gate in the back. Two or three Trainers mill about. I battle two of them. A few goodies are on the ground, and I scavenge them. Not much else on this floor, so I may as well go down. This floor is much different. It has little panels on the floor that, when stepped on, send you flying the direction they point. They're arranged in a maze, and I make myself very sick and dizzy, but I eventually make it through. Stairs going up and that elevator. Stairs lead to dead end, and the elevator won't work. I spin back through the maze. A new set of stairs has appeared, along with a Trainer. He tells me that the lower floor is filled with Trainers, and they wiped his team.

I remember that item from earlier. I let Char coal out and offer him the Charcoal.

"Ew, no; that smells like my poo." I insist, and when that doesn't work, I guilt him about how much I had to pay for it. He reluctantly agrees, then swallows it down. He gags a bit, then smoke billows from his mouth. "That was some nasty stuff and it made me smoke. That was a horrible idea." He spouts and moans and whines until our next battle. He hiccups and a huge jet of flames shoot from his mouth. Flamethrower. The battles are fairly easy from then on. More of those spinning things are up here, along with more stairs. Oh, joy. At the top of the stairs is a small room. At the back of it is a man sitting behind a desk. He watches me as I approach.

"I've heard the elevator only works if you have a special key." He gets up and walks over to me. He pats my back and throws his arm around me. I don't like this. I'm about to step away from his grip when he removes his arm. He walks back behind the desk, sits down, and opens one of the drawers. He take out two Pokeballs. "I might tell you where to find it…. If you beat me." All he has is a gas ball and a bat. When he loses, he takes a key from the drawer and hands it to me. Hooray. Now I have to back through those spinning panels.

One bout of motion sickness later, I find myself staring at a man sitting on a couch.

"You here for the Sliph Scope?" I nod. He shrugs, then hops up and sends out a Pokemon. One of those rock- snakes. It's a lot bigger than the one at the Pewter Gym. I'm not sure if any of my Pokemon can beat it. Nonetheless, I send out Charcoal. It using Metal Claw worked on the other one, it should work on this one. The rock- snake laughs at Charcoal. It's voice booms and shakes from the core.

"So, insect. Are you ready to get smashed? I've eaten things bigger than you as a snack. What makes you think you can take me?" Charcoal growls and I can see flames licking at his jaws. He starts glowing. Like before, he gets bigger. Wings sprout from his back and his horn splits into two. His tail gets much longer, as do his claws and fangs. He's even more angular than he was before. When the glow fades, I can see that he has faded too orange again, and the inside of his wings is blue. I don't think he's noticed the transformation. He charges into battle and takes down all three of the mans Pokemon without even breaking a sweat. He marches over to me when the last move is landed. I have to look up at him now. He looks down at me, then makes a confused face.

"Hey, Tae… when did you get so short?" I shake my head and sigh, then go over to the man, leaving him to figure it out on his own.

"So…. You beat me…. Um…. Here's your prize." The man hands me a an odd contraption that looks like a pair of goggles on steroids. I fit it over my head, but nothing looks that different; just tinted with blue. "If helps you see things you can't normally see." I nod, but I'm not really following. I thank him anyway, and he shows me the way out. As we go back up, I notice an emblem on the wall. Faded, scratched up, and partially painted over, a big red R stares back at me. I get a bad feeling of déjà vu from it, but can't place why.

I leave the casino. I'm afraid I need to make a stop at the Pokemart here. I can't buy anything, but my bag is getting heavy with items that have no use. I really don't need the money at this point (even after my gambling spree), but I could use the space in my pack. I find out in short order that the mart here is an entire department store. I sell all the useless junk from my pack at the first counter I find, but decide to stay a bit and look around. Nothing really jumps out at me until I get to the roof, and then it's literal. A little girl comes up. She wants a drink. I don't know what to do, so I let her lead me over to the drink machines. Water and Soda isn't good enough, so I get a Lemonade. She guzzles it down, then gives me some TMs and runs off. I turn to but myself a drink. A little note is stuck to the machine. It reads that these drinks restore Pokemon just like Potions do. And no ID. I buy a few of each, then go back to the Pokemon Center feeling a little better.

I heal my Pokemon, but while the others rest up, I hold my new partner back. Ever since I got this ball at the casino, I haven't opened it. I press the button, and the Dratini materializes from a red beam of light. It's a lot bigger than I expected; if it was stretched out, it would be taller than me. It's belly, nose, and ears are almost pure white and the rest of it pale lavender. It's eyes sparkle like amethysts. I can see why this Pokemon is would be considered rare. It makes a humming noise, then hides it's eyes under the tip of it's tail.

"It's alright…. Um… Mattie. I'm your Trainer now." Mattie peaks from under her tail. She looks kind of happy about that, but it's hard to tell. She makes a little buzzing noise and touches the tip of her tail to my face. I smile best I can, and she looks happier. 'So… um…. How are you?" She tilts her head, then a few bubbles fizz from her mouth. She doesn't answer. I'm about to question her again, but it hits me. She's a baby. She's so big, but she probably hatched not long ago. I pat her on the head, and she coils herself up into my lap. As big as she is, she is very light. It worries me. Good thing I'm in a Pokemon center.

"Oh, you Pokemon are finished healing. Is that your Dratini? Sure is cute." She smiles, but I tell her my worry. She looks concerned, and takes Mattie from me. She takes her into a back room, and then comes out a few moments later. "She's perfectly fine! Overweight even! Dratini have no bones to weigh them down like we do. They have a complex system of cartilage and ligaments, so she won't develop bones until she's much, much older. Its good that you were concerned though. Hey… are you here to take the Celedon Gym?" I'm relieved that Mattie is alright, but I had no idea a Gym was in this town. Daylight burns, so I think I know what to do before dark. First things first, though. Little Mattie needs to train some.

"Dra-Na- Roo!" I pat Mattie on the head. Jasper and Basil showed her a few moves, so she's a much better fighter. At first she was reluctant, and her she didn't know any good moves. A few TMs, Shock Wave and Water Pulse, fixed that up. She's much more confident now; I'm proud of her. As proud of her as I am, I'm not sure she'll be much help in the next Gym. I did some poking around, and the leader is a user of Grass Types. Since he's so much stronger now, Charcoal could probably sweep the place singlehandedly, but I'm going to use Wedge. He's not gotten to battle a lot recently, and I don't want him to feel neglected. After the battle, I hope to go back to Lavender. I want to help that man trapped in the tower so Erik might be a little safer.

Just thinking about him makes me a little happier about my own situation, as bleak as it is. If my mom didn't know Oak on a personal level, would people torment me like that? Would someone try on me what they tried on him? Would anyone care if someone did? Plus….. he won't ever get the chance to be a Trainer. I'm technically a fugitive, but he won't have the chance to run away.

Enough depressing thoughts.

The Gym looms over me. It's tall and covered in pretty flower patterns. A man outside peaks in the window. He mutters something about 'full of women' as I pass. The doors slide open and I step inside. The ground is covered in lush grass, and trees and flowers and bushes sprout from everything. Many pretty girls sit around and chat or arrange the flowers. Upon closer inspection, I notice that some of those flowers are Pokemon. One of the closer girls, a tall blond, walks over to me.

"Hello, there! This is the Celedon Gym. How might I help you?" She beams. I explain to her I'm here to challenge the Gym leader. Her smile falters a little, but she nods. "That would be very well and good, but….. might we share a battle first?" I nod. Some of the other girls are starting to stare now. They point and whisper. Some of them giggle. The blond tells me to pay them no mind, then calls out a yellow bulb Pokemon. I call out Wedge. A few of the girls gasp, and I can see some glare. The pretty blond doesn't look as happy now. "You dare bring that filthy beast into our Gym? Prepare for defeat!"

She doesn't defeat me. She has a bigger yellow bulb along with the small one. Wedge slices them both in two before they can do anything. Girls, all furious, rush forward and demand battles. They all have very bad names for Wedge, and I can tell it hurts his feelings, but he says nothing back. He just attacks. Most of their Pokemon are small and soft, like the grass they are named for. They tear in two with every Wing Attack. I feel bad for the Trainers, but they don't seem to care. After a while, they stop challenging me, but they won't let me see the leader, and they all seethe at me and Wedge.

A curtain in the back swings open. Laughter rings through the air, but is cut short.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Someone shoves and pushes through the crowd. I can hear then shout 'Move!" every once and a while, and hear some girl exclaim either in shock or pain. The pushy attitude, the voice….. I know this person, it's….

"Tae? What are you doing here?" A familiar sneer on her face, Nate glowers at me. Her lip is curled up in disgust, like she's smelled something foul. She moves from the edge of the crowd, swaying her hips as she walks. Her hand is curled into a fist, but she seems so unassuming. I know this trick. When she's close, she swings a punch, but I know to duck. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. She hits air, but has another trick up her sleeve. She grabs me by the collar and jerks me up. She raises her hands to punch, but Wedge won't allow it.

"Harlot!" He calls out, and then he's nipping at her and raking her with his claws. She cries out and lets go. Wedge doesn't stop until she's backed away from me, and then he places himself between me and her. A few scratches well up on her arm, and her hair is ratty now, but other than that she looks fine. She looks back up at us, and she radiates fury.

"You slut! You stole my man!" She tries for another lunge, but Wedge puffs up and she backs up. "You left with Leto and didn't tell me! He's mine and you can't have him!" She spouts off garbage like this for another few minutes. "You know, he was here a little while ago, and he said I looked very nice. You're little plan didn't work! He still likes me better!" Something twisted is in her eyes, I don't know why, but it is. It's almost like she's trying to convince herself it's true. I don't know why she would feel that way; she was always the pretty one between us two

She stares at Wedge for a while, then a malicious grin spreads over her face. She pulls out three Pokeballs, and sends one out. I'm not sure what it is, but it has a blue body and a few small red petals on it's head. A nasty stench hits my nose and I gag. It launches a Leech Seed attack. Basically all it does is make a few weeds sprout on Wedge, but it doesn't seem to bother him. Wedge retaliates with a- what else?- Wing Attack. When it hits, it rips through the blue plant. One of the red bulbs, along with a good chunk of blue, falls from it's head. It falls. Nate roars out and sends out yet another plant. One of those giant yellow bulb- shaped plants.

It hasn't done anything, but Wedge cries out in pain and the vines covering him glow some. Now the bulb attacks. Purple sludge is spat out from it's gaping mouth, covering Wedge. I can literally see as it burns his feathers. Despite his own pain, he slices this one up as well. Another Pokemon is sent out. I assume it is Nate's starter, but it has gotten much bigger and the green plant on it's back has turned pink. It glances back at Nate, not sure what to do.

"Kill her Pokemon! All of them! Then let me kill her!" It looks a little confused, so it doesn't do anything right away. "DO IT OR TO THE WOODCHIPPER, YOU STUPID BEAST." It shutters, then shoots out a barrage of leaves at Wedge. They cut him. The vines glow, and the sludge still burns him. I try and call him back, but he raises his wings and slices this one as well. It doesn't fall as the others before, but the attack is enough to make it faint. Nate screams, calls back her Pokemon, and shoves past me and out the door. It's quiet for a long time. The Trainers around me, while still mad, look very confused.

"It burns!" Wedge falls over, is breathing heavy. I run to him. I try and touch him, but the residue of the sludge burns my hands and I pull away. His body begins to glow as it has before. He's as big as me now, with long glorious feathers and a beautiful long red feathers trailing down his head. He smiles weakly, and I call him back into his ball before much more damage can be done. I run out of the Gym and back to the Pokemon center. I think I shove someone out of the way of the counter, and practically throw the ball at the nurse. All I can do is wait.

Pokemon Obtained: 7

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Mattie the Dratini;; Level 18;; Female;; Bashful

Party:

Charcoal the Charizard;; Level 38;; Male;; Brave

Wedge the Pidgeot;; Level 36;; Male;; Naïve

Basil the Beedrill;; Level 32;; Male;; Modest

Jasper the Meowth;; Level 33;; Male;; Docile

Mattie the Dratini;; Level 29;; Female;; Bashful

Lost:

None

Item List:

HM 05; Ether; Paralyze Heal; TM 40; Ether; Chesto Berry; Persim Berry; Burn Heal; Repel; Chesto Berry (Jasper); Rawst Berry (Jasper); Oran Berry (Jasper); Max Ether; Pearl; Nanab Berry; Rawst Berry; Leppa Berry; Lum Berry; Belue Berry (Jasper); Wepear Berry; Coin Case; PP Up; Escape Rope; Moon Stone; X Speed; TM 12; Super Potion; Hyper Potion; TM 21; Rare Candy; Blackglasses; Max Ether; TM 49; Calcium; TM 16; TM 20; TM 33; Fresh Water; Soda Pop x2; Lemonade x3; Ether


	8. Grass

And wait I do. I sit on the same chair and wring my hands until well after dark. Eventually the nurse comes over and makes me lay down in a room, but I can't sleep. I end up tossing and turning throughout the night. Eventually I get up and pace. I sneak out of my room and to the observation wing. Thin sheets of glass line two long hallways. Behind each one is a sickly Pokemon. Most are asleep, but some watch me as I pass by. I stop when I find Wedge's window. He looks a lot better than he did earlier. The sludge has been cleaned off and the vines ripped away. His feathers are eaten away in places. He's sleeping, so I stay quiet. As usual. His face is contorted, so I think he might still be in pain.

This is my fault.

Seeing him like this has flared a spark in me. Tomorrow me and the gang are going to get that Badge. I march back to my room. I sleep a little better, but morning still doesn't come soon enough. I'm ready and leave before six. I put my shoes to good use and run all the way to the Gym. I'm out of breath and sweating, but that doesn't matter. The girls stare daggers at me as I walk past; I've already bested them, so they can't stop me. I head for the curtain Nate came from yesterday. It's green and silky to the touch. I pull it back. A small room, the walls made of bushes, is revealed. In the middle sit's a very pretty girl. She sips tea, but when I come in she smiles warmly.

"Are you the one who caused the commotion yesterday?" Her voice is sweet and kind. I don't bother saying anything. "I was told you wanted to challenge me. Know that though I am gentle, I will not go easy on you. I, Erika, accept your challenge." She stands, Pokeball in hand. Before she can choose her first Pokemon, I hear glass shattering and girls screaming. I try to go into action, but wind blows the curtain back and a huge shadow looms over me. Wings spread wide, it caws loudly, then flips over me and between me and Erika.

Wedge, still looking a little rough, stands there. I'm to stunned too move. Erika must think he's my first choice, because she sends out a giant yellow fly- trap. It spits out acid at him, which hits his weak spots, and burns him again. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger!" He cuts the fly- trap in two. Acid must have been holed up in it's body, because it splashes out as it falls. Erika leaves it to lay, and she sends out a mass of vines. The vines move and growl. Wedge is still flying, so he circles around and cuts this one as well. Erika is not happy. She sends out one more Pokemon. It is blue and has large red petals. It is gone before it comprehends the situation. A quick battle. Erika admits defeat and gives me her badge and a nice TM. Wedge is poisoned again, though. He smiles at me and shakes off some of the sludge. Not as bad as yesterday, I see. We leave the Gym.

As soon as we are outside, tears well up in my eyes. I wrap my arms around his neck and cry into his feathers. He pats me with his wings. I was so afraid for him. This added with the 'Aide' chasing me has made me ever more willing to tell my team. I try to find the words to tell Wedge at that very moment, but I can't. My voice dies. Not now. But soon. I promise myself this, but I'm afraid I'll get to it, and they'll either get taken from me or die in ignorance. I wipe the tears away. I wanted to help Erik after I beat this Gym. That would be a good place to start. After getting as high into the tower as I can, I'll tell them. It's only fair. If they want to go, they can, and I won't try and stop them.

We set out for Lavender, Wedge and I. The trip is short and easy. The path shows no signs of the skirmish we had a few days ago. It is sunny, and people are clustered about. Some are on picnics, but I can't help but wonder if those people knew this ground was almost soiled. Maybe it already is, and I don't know about it. I push the thought from my mind and cross the threshold from wilderness to town. Lavender looks about the same, but less people are out. I pit stop at the Pokemon center, then go straight to the tower. A lot of people are inside. Some of them weep for lost friends, but even more are crowded around a large staircase. They seem angry, and some oddly dressed women can hardly keep them at bay.

"We promise you, we are doing all we can! It is not just your Mr. Fuji held captive, but our sisters as well! You must stop this." As bad as I hate to, I push my way through the crowd. When I break through I am nose to nose with the girl who was yelling earlier. "Get back!" She yells at me, "Only skilled Trainers may pass; we've already had enough accidents for one day!" She tries to push my away, but I explain to her that I am, indeed, a skilled Trainer, and a pretty good one. She grabs my arm and shoves me up the steps, opening the door and slamming it behind me. No questions, no proof, just 'wham', I'm on the case.

Tombstones litter the floor. A lot of them look fresh. Another set of stairs is on the others side of the room. Some sort of fog leaks and seeps from around the corners of it. The only way to get to it is to pick through the graves. A little ways off, I can see someone praying in front of a stone. It's Leto. A bunch of wildflowers are spread over a very fresh grave.

"Leto?" His eyes pop open and he looks over. He recognizes me, and gives me a sad smile.

"I lost Tails, my Raticate." He looks sadly at the grave. We stay silent for a long time. "Hey, Tae. I feel rude to ask, but…. Would you mind battling me again? All Tails wanted was to prove how strong he was to you, and….."

I put my hand on is shoulder to silence him. Lead the way as we find a relatively empty place away from the graves. It's just enough room for a battle. He sends out one of those red dogs. I'm not sure who to choose, but Mattie chooses for me. She pops out of her ball and chirps at me happily, then notices the puppy and growls. She jumps in defense position, ready to strike. The puppy growls, and I see Mattie shutter, but she still leads off the battle with a Water Pulse. The rings of water hit dead on, dampening the pup. It's fur sizzles, and Leto calls him back. Next out is that psychic Pokemon. Mattie Slams into it, knocking it out. A bunch of pink living eggs is next. Two Slams and they are all cracked. Wings is next. I'm sure Mattie could handle her as well, but I know someone who will enjoy it more. I call her back and send out Wedge. Wings looks him over, her head tilted slightly.

"Well well, look who blossomed into a beefcake." She snickers, "But don't think I'm taking it easy on you, stud." Wedge is flustered, and she takes this opportunity to attack. A Quick Attack, but with his new girth and strength, it doesn't do all that much. While he has the opportunity, he smacks her down with a Wing Attack. He still seems all flustered, so I call him back and let Mattie go out again. She squeals in delight, but is hit with a Water Gun. She cries out in pain. Shells is out now. Mattie hisses at him, then her ears glow yellow and static with electricity. A beam of energy is discharged from her body. It hits Shells, but he gets back up, slightly singed, and rushes her. His jaws clamp down on her, and he flings her into a wall. A cloud of dust and debris rises up. I do not hear or see her.

"Mattie…..?" Outside I look very worried, but inside I am panicking.

"I'm fine…. My Lady." Another burst of electricity cuts through the cloud and strikes Shells down. I run into the dust, but I do not find my Dratini. I find a new Pokemon. I know it is Mattie from the way she looks, but she is much more elegant. She much bigger, at least double in size. Her belly is white and the rest of her a deep blue. Her ears look like tiny wings, and a blue orb rests below her chin. A few more are on her tail, and a small white horn is on her head. She is curled and coiled up, and slightly floating by some force I can't explain. "Do not worry, My Lady. I am fine….." She still looks weakened, though. I call her back into her ball. I go back to check on Leto, but he is gone. I look everywhere for him, and finally decide he must have gone up, so I pry open the door and ascend the steps.

The air is thick with smoke, but it is incredibly cold. I can faintly see outlines of people moving around, but they seem odd and jerky. Some of them moan and groan. Eventually an outline gets close. It is a woman, dressed as the ones downstairs were. Her eyes are wide and blood drips from them, her mouth, and her nose. Her fingers are caked with dirt. She groans and lurches towards me, like she's a zombie of some sort. I send out Basil. He's about as sure what to do as I am, so he just slaps her on the head when she gets close enough. She falls down and holds her head. A purple vapor trails out of her mouth and nose. It forms an evil face and a giant hand reaches from me and Basil. He stabs at it, but his stinger just goes through.

"Sliph… Scope… use…." The woman gargles this out, spitting blood. I pull the goggles out of my pack, slipping them over my head. Everything is blue as it was before, but I see a Pokemon lingering in the smoke where the ghost was. It giggles with glee when Basil fails to hurt it yet again. The Sliph Scope beeps, then flashes light. The Pokemon looks dazed, and Basil tilts his head. He stabs at it again, and it faints, then fades away into nothing. The woman is unconscious, but looks peaceful now. I leave her be and continue onwards.

I see a small shadow move just out of the corner of my eye. I thought I saw it dash from one tombstone to the next. I figure its one of those ghosts and it needs to be taken care of. Basil and I sneak over to the grave the best I can, but the shadow jumps out an attacks us. A small brown dinosaur type thing. It wears a large skull on it's head. It almost smashes me in the face with a large bone, but Basil bats its away just in time. It's a Pokemon, and its wounded. While Basil might have hit it, it wasn't a strong enough attack to hurt as bad as it looks. It staggers to it's feet and tries to limp away. My heart pangs, so I use one of my Great Balls on it. It shakes, but quickly clicks; I guess it didn't have the strength to put up much of a fight. I collect my new Partner. One ball left.

I let it out of the ball immediately. It can't move, and seems barely conscious. I pick it up and hold it like an infant.

"…..ma…ma…" It whines and nuzzles against me. It's a girl, I can tell now. Basil peeks at her and pats her on the head. To have those big, treating stingers, he sure is gentle. She whimpers again. She's in pain. I remember that those drinks are supposed to perk one up, so I pull out that bottle of water. The cap flicks off, and then I turn it up and feed her like a baby. She guzzles it down and opens her eyes some. She struggles out of my grasp when she sees me, lifting her bone up as if to defend herself. She shaking. She's frightened.

"It's alright. I just captured you…. I'm your Trainer now."

"Trainer?" She looks away for a moment, possible thinking about that means for her. "Like….. You're going to raise me to be strong and powerful?" Her eyes shine. I've just met her, but something tells me this is the happiest she's been in a while. She nods. "Good! You can train me to be strong enough to avenge my mommy." This worries me. Avenge her mother? What happened to her mother? As if reading my mind, she answers. "A mean boy killed her, or at least that's what Mr. Fuji said, He was taking care of me after mommy died, and we came to the tower too try and calm the spirits here. Something went wrong, though….." She trails off, but perks up. "I heard that mean boy was inside the tower from one of the other Cubone here. I ran away from Mr. Fuji to get him, so mommy won't be mad anymore."

I'm not sure how to respond to this. Obviously she's been fed things to make her hate this boy. I don't doubt her intelligence, but I don't think she could have come up with Erik being a bad guy all on her own, and she said that this Mr. Fugi told her. And the way she said she was going 'to get' Erik made her way to happy. Something is wrong here. I do the best I can, though, and go along with it for now.

"Er….. that's nice. Your name will be Melody from now on, alright?" she nods again, the skull on her head bobbling back and forth.

I pick her up and we move on after this. She's not as strong as everyone else, and she's not at the top of her game from being wounded, but Melody is very helpful in this tower. She knows how to hit the ghosts and hit them hard, all without the Sliph Scope. As we travel up the tower, the fog gets thicker and the possessed women more demented. Items lay scattered around on the floor, and I pick them up. We find one woman, about halfway up, who has managed to purify a zone with seals. She stays in the center, and is unaffected by ghosts. When she spots up, she waves us over. She heals my team the best she can, then gives Melody something called a Cleanse Tag. It's nice to rest for a moment, but we must move on. Soon we come to the final set of steps.

The door is and stairs are covered with an evil dark energy. I don't want to, but I get closer. As I do, the darkness pulls away from the door and forms a solid shape. It moans, but otherwise stays where it's at. I click the Sliph Scope. A brown Pokemon is revealed to be under that darkness. It has a tight- fitting skull over it's head and it grips a large bone. Blood oozes and seeps from deep, jutting wounds all over it's body. I get even closer. It raises up it's bone and flings it at me. I duck, and it whips back around and lands back in it's grasp. "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill…" It hisses out. It's eyes are red and empty. Melody is frozen, but she pulls from my grasp and runs towards the specter. I try and call her back, but she won't listen.

"Mommy!" She hugs the ghost. The gore goes away and it's eyes clear, but only for a moment. It then kicks Melody away and raises it's bone to club her.

"Mattie, go!" I fling Mattie's ball. She appears out, then flings herself in front of the attack. A bruised purple place is left where the attack hit. Mattie counters with a close- range Water Pulse, but she also grabs Melody with the end of her tail and flings her to me. I catch her and the ghost shrieks in pain. It becomes more translucent, then roars and bashes Mattie again, leaving another bruise. Mattie unleashes another Water Pulse. When the attack is through. The Pokemon is normal now, like it turned to before. It gives a very loving, if sad, look to Melody, then glances to me and Mattie.

"Thaaaaaaaank… yooooooooooou…" It fades into smoke and seems to float away, slowly disappearing. I check on Mattie and hold Melody close. Mattie is sore, but should be better soon. Melody is nuzzled into my chest, crying her little heart out. I pat her and whisper the best condolences I can as I walk up the steps. The door sticks some, but with Mattie's help I shove it open.

A large room is on the other side. It is filled with very old graves and six people. A large symbol is on the floor. One of the people is laying in the middle of it, and four others are at the North, West, East, and South positions of the symbol. They chant in some language I've never heard. Blood drips from their eyes and from their mouths and noses. The last person is at the very end of the room. He is like the others, and he is watching me with hateful eyes. This is not right. I get closer, and I see that the figure in the symbol is Erik, and he is unconscious. I shudder, but I'm not leaving him.

I run forward. The four people all jump up, pulling sharp daggers from their sleeves. They lunge at me. Mattie roars at them and snap at them best she can. She understands they are possessed so she doesn't want to hurt them to bad. I try and keep out of the way the best I can. I'm not much of a fighter. I'm again reminded of how useless I really am in these situations. Mattie quickly knocks them all out. She growls at the last one left, then man.

"Now, now….. No need for violence." His voice is unearthly and unnatural. It echoes itself and is deep and guttural. He smiles. Blood is in his teeth. "My circle is finished and I need just one more thing…. The blood of this boy. Melody," She looks up at him, tears still in her eyes. How did he know her name? "This boy here… he killed your mother. Wouldn't you like….. To avenge her?" I hold close to her, and she looks down to him.

"Melody…" I whisper to her. 'I don't know what he's told you, but….. He didn't mean to kill your mother. It was an accident." She looks up at me. I can see she is conflicted. This is what she wanted, but the what that man said along with what I said…..

"No, I won't. I know mommy wouldn't have wanted me to."

The man snarls and runs at us. Mattie smacks him with her tail, which send him careening into the far wall. The room fills with some sort of unholy pressure and I can see the fog turning black. It swirls and twists and turns madly. "…noooooooooo…." The voice hisses and slowly fades away. As it does, the now black fog dissipates with it. I think it is over now. I check the man. He is still alive. A window is nearby. It is closed and boarded up, but I can think of no other way to tell people to come up. I enlist the help of Melody, since Mattie is now very tired. We rip and smash the boards away until the window is open. I balance my upper body out of the hole and wave my arms in the hope someone will see. Melody sits on the seal and yells at the top of her lungs. A man down below notices up. He rushes inside.

I am relieved to be out of the tower. The Channlers said that it would be closed down for a few days, so they could reestablish and strengthen the seals that broke and allowed the evil spirits in. That man at the top was Mr. Fuji. He had went in to calm the spirit and ended up possessed himself. He gave me a Poke Flute. It can awaken sleeping Pokemon. That reminds me of that big Pokemon that was blocking that Route. I think while in Celadon I saw another. As a thank you gift from the town, they gave me a HM 02. It's for a move called Fly. I teach it to Wedge. They want to throw a party in my honor, and I tell them alright. I'm leaving before it starts, so it won't matter to me.

I've put it off for too long. I need to tell my team the truth. Why I am Invalid.

* * *

Pokemon Obtained: 8

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Melody the Cubone;; Level 15;; Female;; Brave

Party:

Charcoal the Charizard;; Level 38;; Male;; Brave

Wedge the Pidgeot;; Level 36;; Male;; Naïve

Basil the Beedrill;; Level 32;; Male;; Modest

Jasper the Persian;; Level 33;; Male;; Docile

Mattie the Dragonair;; Level 31;; Female;; Bashful

Melody the Cubone;; Level 27;; Female;; Brave

Lost:

None

Item List:

TM 19;; Escape Rope; Elixer; Great Ball; Awakening; Nugget; X Accuracy; Rare Candy; Poke Flute;

I bet you guys wanna hit me. xD First I don't update in what feels like thirty years, and then I leave you with a cliffhanger- of- sorts. I'm a bad person. As I'm sure you noticed a chapter or so ago, Team Rocket isn't in this. If the Hero Girl from all those years ago made them disband, why would they still be around today? As such, expect gimicks and the like to explain why Tae has to go through the trials, but just know it's not them. =) Also, since all of the stuff is fixed now, I should have the next chapter up in a few days.


End file.
